Beyond the Gate: Edward Elric and the Dark Book
by betsybugaboo
Summary: The war has begun and the future is coming for Harry Potter and his friends. Will Edward Elric lead his friends to discover true magic? With alchemy lessons and the discovery of Horcruxes, Harry will not have a minute to himself. Translation from French of mel72000's awesome fic, Par delà la Porte : E Elric et le livre obscur. Book 2 of the Beyond the Gate series.
1. Chapter 1

Hello, everyone! I'm back! And I'm proud to present the first chapter of Book 2 of Beyond the Gate: Edward Elric and the Dark Book. I don't know when the next chapter will be up, but I hope you enjoy this first look! Also, happy Pride to all y'all!

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It had been about ten days since Edward had parted company with the wizards of the Order of the Phoenix, and on the whole he could already say that he was doing very well for the moment... The boy had taken the precaution of keeping a small nest egg made up of half muggle silver and half wizarding money: he was not very wealthy despite the sum inherited from Flamel, but that would be enough to live on for a few weeks. If worst came to worst, he could transform pebbles into gold nuggets or coal into diamonds, but he would only use this solution as a last resort.

Edward did not need to live in luxury: he enjoyed comfort, like everyone else, but during his life he had slept in filthy backrooms, slums and even under the stars. He could therefore easily adapt to the modesty of his condition and was even able to appreciate the positive aspects of a free and unhindered life.

The surveillance that he had been subjected to last year almost drove him crazy, so it was out of the question for him to start tutoring again this summer. Of course, he was not stupid: he knew perfectly well that wizards like Dumbledore or Truth forbid, Voldemort, would be perfectly able to find him if they wanted to take the trouble. Luckily, he was not supposed to be at the top of their priority lists, which was a good thing. Nevertheless, this did not prevent him from taking precautions: he never slept two nights in a row at the same place, he was constantly on the lookout for his environment, and he rigged his rooms with alchemical traps every evening before he rested. The months spent in hiding in Amestris (as well as his paranoia) had contributed a lot to his abilities in those aspects and today he was here to thank his lucky stars.

Nevertheless, this life on the alert did not prevent him from enjoying the small pleasures that this world could offer him. English breakfast was part of it, which explained why Edward Elric was sitting in front of a huge brunch on the terrace of a small hotel with the charming name of Brockdale Cottage. But the landscape around him was not so charming: a lugubrious and persistent fog, completely out of season, hovered over the surrounding countryside. The river and the bridge that spanned it could barely be seen as the mist drowned the setting with its gray shadow. Edward knew what this unseasonal weather was due to: dementors. They might not be in the immediate vicinity, but their presence was enough to cause all the depressing mist that was seeping into his automail and spoiling much of Edward's meal.

The latter had just finished his plate and read the Daily Prophet without worrying too much about the normal people around him: the newspaper undoubtedly had ways to avoid being noticed, and anyway the few people who had the courage to go out were too concerned about their worries and the negative emotions caused by the Dementors to pay attention to him. The first article was about Fudge's loud and clear refusal to quit his position as minister despite Voldemort's threats to kill Muggles en masse. Edward frowned as he read between the lines. He was certainly not a politician or a strategist, but having had a "mentor" (for lack of a better term) of a colonel who wanted to overthrow the dictator of his country the blond had at least learned to analyze the events in another light. And he saw everything now, with the same acumen as Mustang in front of a failing chess game.

He knew that Fudge, as close to resignation as he was, could not afford to yield to Voldemort's threats because not only would it discredit him even more in the eyes of the wizarding population, but it would also prove that the ministry was nothing more than a puppet government, manipulated by death eaters, which would strengthen the fears of the population. But Fudge's refusal meant that Voldemort would go on the offensive imminently by putting his threat into action. If the Minister could not prevent the next deadly attack, he would be forced out of a position he was about to lose anyway. Talk about being trapped between a rock and a hard place...

Closing his newspaper, Edward sighed while paying the bill: today or tomorrow, there would certainly be a devastating attack on Muggles who would be the expense of a power struggle they would never know about. And he could not do anything to prevent that. As he made his way to the exit, several powerful cracks rang out a few hundred meters from him. A second later, Edward had already taken refuge behind a low wall: wizards had just apparated in, and, having seen their clothes and masks, they certainly did not have good intentions in coming here.

For a moment, the young alchemist thought they had him after him, but apparently none of them had seen him: they seemed instead to be heading in the opposite direction: the bridge on which many cars were running quickly, little discouraged by the prevailing fog.

Edward thought he was going to vomit when he understood the purpose of the fanatics who had raised their wands to the pillars that supported the structure: they were putting their threat to the test. Ed did not take the time to think, he ran, sneaking behind all possible hiding places until he was near the murderers. They had just disappeared the pylons, thus tilting the bridge into the water, as well as the vehicles that were thereupon, causing the terrified screams of their occupants. Without hesitating, Edward Elric clapped his hands silently and put them on the ground to force out columns to temporarily support the bridge. To his relief, it worked. He hadn't been sure it would: the last time he had tried to repair a bridge to help a pregnant woman, he had failed miserably.

Unfortunately, his act was immediately noticed, with none of the Death Eaters able to understand that he was using his alchemy. He took out his wand and prepared for a magical battle, an area where he did not excel, unlike Harry. Soon he was being sniped at on all sides by the Death Eaters, retaliating while restraining hiss power to not risk killing the unfortunate Muggles who had just escaped death. Luckily, the opponents he was dealing with had to be recent recruits, with little training and who had to do their blood baptism by attacking victims that were unable to defend themselves. Maybe he had a chance to get by as long as he stayed behind the wall... But it was at that moment that a voice was heard, a voice that had been engraved in his memory since that day at the Ministry:

"Well? You still haven't finished? Or are you lot so backward that you are unable to bring down a single bridge built by Muggles?

"We did collapse the bridge, but a guy interfered and... I do not know how he did it, but look!" He conjured new pillars!" exclaimed a young Death Eater, visibly shocked.

"Let's see that. Hmm? I recognize this work, even if I only saw it once…"

The Death Eater, who was in charge of the rookies on their expedition, turned to the wall where Edward had taken refuge and raised his voice:

"Get out of your hiding place, Edward Elric Flamel, I know it's you! Do not forget I saw you at work!"

"Go to hell!" replied the young alchemist, accompanying his reply with an insulting gesture.

"I have to admit I'm still quite impressed by that magic you're demonstrating..." commented Rookwood, former Unspeakable. "Top-level transfiguration, at first glance. However, it must take a lot of energy. Aren't you exhausted?"

"Why don't you come up here and see?" Edward challenged him as he whispered prayers for relief to arrive at the scene.

To Edward's surprise, Rookwood seemed to accept the challenge and began to cautiously approach him while continuing his speech:

"Do you know that the offer I made last time still holds? The Master was interested in your wandless magic abilities once I revealed to him the extent of your power."

"Damn it!" Edward grunted, casting a few spells. One hit a raging Death Eater, sending him over the parapet straight into the river.

"I do not want to kill you, Elric-Flamel, your life is worth more than that vermin that you're trying to save."

At that moment, the scream of a young girl echoed, making Edward pale. He looked over his hiding place and shuddered at the drama unfolding before him: Rookwood was levitating a child who was no more than seven years old and sobbing in terror, while behind the scenes, in a car, the parents and a ten-year-old boy were helpless at the scene, unable to rescue the youngest member of their family. But the ideological Death Eater did not seem to be finished with his demonstration.

"Do not tell me, Edward Elric Flamel, that you think the life of this garbage is worth more than your own existence?"

"All life is unique and irreplaceable, you bastard!" shouted the alchemist, mad with rage and anguish.

"You still have a lot to learn ..." muttered the Death Eater, in a falsely disappointed tone as if he were lecturing a stubborn child, then lowering his wand, it let out a green flash, and like a breath of wind, Death took the innocent child in front of the horrified eyes of Edward.

While the Death Eater seemed to want to add something, one of his accomplices leaned towards him and pointed to an auror troop that was coming quickly. Rookwood turned to the motionless young alchemist, gave him an wry smile and apparated away with the others.

Edward slowly approached the child's body and knelt beside her, staring at the lifeless eyes and terror fixed forever on the features of the little victim. Everything had been so fast that he could not do anything, again he had been totally helpless, unable to save someone's life. Plunged into his dark thoughts, he was no longer paying attention to what was around him, the voices around him were nothing but indistinct noises, the people were nothing more than shadows: only the girl was motionless on the ground. bitumen. He felt more than he saw the family of the unfortunate approaching them: the father looked incredulous, as if he could not believe that his child was dead, dazed by pain, the mother touched his face, gently caressing her hair, until a cry from the depths of her throat and heart burst from her lips, the boy remained motionless and silent, tears streaming unrestrained from his wide-eyed eyes.

Edward regained his senses and gently closed the child's eyes and murmured a simple "sorry", knowing that was all he could do now. He heard people approaching him and felt someone grab his arm and wrench him up brutally as a man yelled "I found one, Chief!"

The man he was talking to was blond with gray hair, yellow eyes almost as golden as Edward's, and he seemed to have a slight limp. Just by looking at him, the young alchemist realized he was dealing with a war veteran, a fighter hardened by years and by losses. He was experienced and he just looked at the teen with a quick professional glance while shaking his head.

"My instincts tell me no, but place him in anti-magic handcuffs. He is perhaps under Polyjuice Potion so we mustn't drop our guard. We will transfer him to the Ministry after settling the situation here."

For Edward, these words proved that this man had certainly experienced situations of this type and that he would not be easily fooled. It was therefore useless to try to stir up his suspicions by behaving like an idiot. In addition, Edward was tired after fighting and witnessing the child's death. He had no heart for anything and only wanted to sit alone in a corner, which was allowed him once the shackles were attached to his wrists.

Lost in thought, he only looked up when he saw the ten-year-old boy in the mourning family before him. Obviously, no one among the wizards had bothered to take care of him. The Ministry's only reaction seemed to cast a spell of forgetfulness to erase past events, without trying to comfort those traumatized by what they had just experienced. The boy stared at him, his eyes filled with tears, accentuating even more the guilt in the young man's heart:

"Why didn't you save her?" exclaimed the child, "You did amazing things, I saw you fighting the guys in black, so why didn't you save Hanna? Why?!"

The boy's little scene had caught the attention of the Aurors, who were already heading for the family of victims with wands in hands. Knowing that he would not have much time, Edward Elric knelt in front of the child, placing himself at his height and said, gravely, with tears in his eyes:

"I'm sorry for not being able to save her. I may be a person with magical powers. But I can not save everyone, even with magic. I am only a human being, with limitations. Forgive me."

Seconds later, the child was carried away by Healers and Edward found himself alone again with her thoughts. As in Amestris, he could not save a little girl who was almost the same age as Nina. Whether magic or alchemy, his powers could not be enough to save the lives of innocent people...

Moments later, the man he had vaguely identified as the Aurors' leader came to him and took off his handcuffs, without a word. The man named Dawlish seemed astonished at the actions of his superior, and began stupidly to protest against the orders. The veteran, supremely annoyed, rebuked him:

"The day you can tell a Death Eater from the bottom of a cauldron, Dawlish, you can afford to discuss my orders. And for your information, never would a Death Eater mourn a muggle and kneel before them to apologize for the death of one of them. They are far too arrogant for that."

Then, even before Edward could recover from his surprise, he grabbed the young alchemist and apparated him to the Auror's office. The young man had just had a trying experience and the wizarding transport had not really made things right and as soon as he landed, he emptied the contents of his stomach into a wastebasket, completely indifferent to the growls of disgust of the auror who made the contents disappear with a wave of his wand.

Nevertheless, this small moment of discomfort had put some of Ed's thoughts back in place, making him now more attentive to his environment. He sat down and listened, while showing a somewhat vague air.

From what he heard from the discussion of Auror Scrimgeour and a communications officer, they seemed to be wondering how much they could spread the story and, most importantly, in what aspect. Should they tell the truth by presenting Edward as the one who saved the world and try to capture some of Edward's aura by making him a figurehead? Or on the contrary, completely obscure his role to better enhance that of the aurors? The little wizard seemed more attracted to the first solution, arguing that the magical world needed heroes, and the young wizard, with his participation in the infiltration of the ministry, unfortunately agreed too much to this cliche. But Scrimgeour, no doubt for political reasons, seemed to favor the second solution that gave the lead to his department.

Finally, when the two stopped their discussion to finally ask his opinion, he retorted sarcastically that he did not intend to upstage the true heroes of this incident. The teen was nearing the end of his rope and the little quibbles of these politicians annoyed him more than anything. He then asked if, now that everything was settled, he could take leave. He could do it ... once he had testified.

He spent two hours reporting to an auror. Four years in the army had made Edward an expert at that, whatever Mustang said. The former state alchemist had to learn to make brief and precise statements while omitting the details that were, shall we say, the most incriminating for him and Al. He described what had happened while ignoring his presence in a hotel while he was a minor, his alchemy and his discussion with Rookwood- in short, the most interesting parts. Luckily, the guy must have been ordered not to overemphasize his exploits, even if he was asked for details about the death eaters on the scene.

Finally, the bureaucratic nightmare was over and Edward began to make his way to the exit with the firm idea of drinking something as hard as possible to try to get out of his mind the frozen face of the one he had seen die. Unfortunately, bad luck seemed to follow him because by the time he reached the elevator, a familiar voice addressed him:

"Ed, what are you doing here? We've been looking for you everywhere!"

The young alchemist could not help but curse too-curious aurors before resolving to face Nymphadora Tonks. The least we can say is that she had changed, and not in a joyous way: her hair was dark gray, far from the bright colors of last year. Her face seemed less smiling and more tinged with depression, something he would never have expected from her. The auror stared at him with a harsher look, seeming to demand answers from him. The young wizard just sighed and continued on his way, unwilling to answer her questions right now.

"Wait a minute, you didn't answer my question: what are you doing here? Where were you? We're worried about you, you know. Where are you going? Hey, you, listen to me when I talk to you!"

Although visibly slightly depressed, the young Auror was obviously stubborn and entered the elevator cabin at the same time as the boy, leaving him no choice but to answer her:

"Yes, I listened to you when you talked at me but I did not want to talk. As for where I was, I was traveling all over the place What I was doing here was testifying because of what happened at the Brockdale Bridge. Finally, as for my future projects, I'm going to go get drunk trying to forget what happened, end of story."

"Wait, were you in Brockdale when the Death Eaters attacked, but then... it was you who prevented the disaster, right?"

"According to the Daily Prophet, which will be published tomorrow, it will be the glorious feat of the Aurors, you will be able to read all the details tomorrow..." Ed grumbled, eager to get rid of the young woman as soon as possible.

"No intelligent person believes what is written in that rag, and everyone in the Order knows that your magical power is impressive (when you do not blow anything up by mistake). Tell me everything!" exclaimed the Auror.

"As I told you, I'm going to have a drink to try to forget this, and by the way, don't you have a job at the Ministry or with the Order?" Edward mumbled as he went out into the street and headed for the nearest bar.

"I have been working for almost forty-eight hours in a row, I have a legitimate right to rest, and the meeting of the Order isn't until tomorrow," said Tonks, adding: "And it's better that I accompany you if you want to get drunk; no one would take you for an adult with your size," she tried joking weakly.

The lack of reaction from the boy made her understand that he had witnessed a shocking scene. So it was without a word that she ordered two glasses of some muggle liquor, ignoring the gritty jokes of the customers and confirming to the bartender that her friend was old enough to drink. He began to drink his drink slowly, having no desire to become drunk with an Auror and a member of the Order nearby... If he disclosed compromising information, he would pay dearly.

Luckily, it seemed clear now to the blond that he was not the only one who needed a drink since Tonks had just swallowed hers in one gulp. He pretended to swallow the contents of his glass at once and they ordered again.

After an hour, the young alchemist knew that even if Metamorphagi could hold their liquor better than ordinary people, they were not insensitive to the harmful effects of alcohol. He also had living proof that alcohol was as effective as a truth serum. Obviously, the young woman was in a period of depression and had seized the opportunity to drown her sorrow in something other than tea. Suddenly, she was, to the great embarrassment of the teen, telling him the love story between her and Remus, something he had absolutely no need to know. But oddly enough, the young woman's chatter helped to erase what had happened today: nothing like listening to the problems of others to get away from his own problems.

At the end of the evening, however, he found himself with a problem on his hands: what to do with his now-drunk companion? He was finally forced to go to the Leaky Cauldron, to take Tom's disapproving and distrustful look while trying not to blush, to reveal as little as possible of exactly what they had done and negotiate the price of a single room. Once that was settled, he planted the Auror there, praying that Nymphadora would forget meeting him and that Remus Lupin would never learn what had happened.

Just over a week later, when it was dark, Edward was in a cemetery, the one where, according to the newspapers, was buried a young of a previously unknown weak heart. He gazed at the grave, which was covered in flowers and where the name and dates of the child were engraved. Without saying anything, the young boy placed a simple bouquet of perennials on the grave and remained there for a long time, losing himself in his thoughts, without seeing anything outside, without hearing any noise. He did not know what to say: he did not believe in the unlikely existence of paradise or hell, but now ... Truth had implied that, he had heard the voices of his loved ones who had died: all hope was permitted. In silence, he thought, as strongly as possible:

"Listen, if this girl, Hanna, is not happy in another place with Nina, Alexander, my mother, and all my friends, I'll tell you two words."

Then he remained motionless, still ironing once in his mind the scene that led to the death of an innocent, desperate in every detail something, anything that could have allowed him to save this little life, something he should not have said or done to spare the child.

Guilt and his tendency to believe himself responsible for everything had always been an aspect of his personality. But his adventures had also forced him to admit that it was impossible for him to save everyone, that even powers that could distort reality could not prevent death from striking. But knowing was one thing and accepting it was another.

However, after a few days of ruminations, he had finally accepted the fact that he could not have done anything to save her: the bastard who had killed him wanted to show him personally how far he was ready to go to explain to him his point of view. For Rookwood, it was a simple test to find out what could reach him and whatever the way he would have reacted, the Death Eater would still kill his victim to know it. The only way to avoid Hanna's death would have been Ed's absence from the scene of the attack, which would have resulted in more deaths. His intervention, he knew perfectly well, had saved the lives of dozens of people that day and to think otherwise would have been irrational. But why couldn't he manage to forgive himself for the death of this child?

"So you're here, Mr. Elric?"

Edward turned abruptly and faced Albus Dumbledore. The old Headmaster seemed strangely out of place in this sober and melancholy cemetery with his brightly colored robes. The alchemist thought he should have been more careful: if he had been a Death Eater, he would have been as surprised as a rookie and being surprised by Dumbledore had not been part of Edward's immediate plans either. Now that the old wizard had found him, Edward doubted that he could escape the Order of the Phoenix, which meant he could probably say goodbye to his peace and independence... for the time being, at least.

The boy put aside his nervousness: he did not want to start an altercation in a peaceful cemetery out of respect for the dead lying there. He just stared at the old wizard with a look of defiance: technically, he did not really have to answer to the Headmaster of Hogwarts except when he was in the school itself, so the founder of the Order had no right to impose anything on him- at least in theory.

For his part, the old wizard sighed inwardly: Edward had obviously not forgiven him for his experience of last year, intended to prove he was trustworthy. Once again, he blamed himself for his rush and his excessive curiosity, which had obviously dug a huge gap in a very recent and still fragile relationship. He should have known: boys like Edward trusted adults only in a hurry, with caution and a certain amount of mistrust. Betray this trust and you can be sure that winning it back would be almost impossible, and Edward Elric's look did not predict a change of attitude in the near future.

He looked at Edward, who was staring at the new grave with eyes from which only regret and guilt had come. Then a new flame came to replace these feelings in the young man's golden eyes, determination and an indomitable will now shining in their place. With a quick movement, he turned and began to take the direction of the exit, the wind rushing in his red coat but this departure was interrupted by the urgent words of the old Headmaster of Hogwarts:

"Edward ... If you're going to chase those responsible for the death of this child, I urge you to reconsider your decision. Alone, you have no chance and revenge has never brought peace to anyone."

"I'm not looking for peace, professor," Edward replied wearily, "that was never an option for me."

"I know how you feel, Edward, you're not responsible for what happened, on the contrary, you saved a lot of people that day." Dumbledore pointed out with compassion.

"Do not try to put yourself in my place. I swore to do what I can to ensure that these bastards receive the justice they deserve." Edward growled with determination.

"A noble intention, Edward, and one that looks good to you." The old man said, continuing: "Nevertheless, there are other ways for you to help that do not put your life in danger constantly and I have come to offer you to help me tonight."

"Oh, have you miraculously started trusting me?" quipped the young alchemist before declaring: "Okay. I have nothing better to do tonight."

And clutching the Headmaster's arm, the blond was about to discover, to his deep misfortune, a new method of wizarding transportation.


	2. Chapter 2

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Hi everybody! Here's chapter two, with edits. Sorry about the wait. I've been losing interest in _Harry Potter_ for a while now (seriously, J. K. fucking Rowling can kiss my trans ass). I intend on finishing this fic one day, but for now I'm going to go on a hiatus. For now, I hope this helps tide you over.

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To Ed's surprise, Dumbledore and him landed in a place familiar to the blond alchemist: Privet Drive, the street where Harry and his family lived. However, the young man did not ask a question and just watched the neighborhood lit up by the city lights darken little by little while the old professor used a kind of lighter to suck up all the surrounding glow. Edward had a sarcastic comment about the danger this could pose to Muggle drivers: he was not sure that the old wizard, despite his gift for seeming omniscient, understood what he wanted to talk about.

Instead, Ed stared at Privet Drive 4 and in particular at the window on the first floor behind which he had seemed to glimpse a movement. Obviously, Dumbledore seemed to be expected by at least one occupant of the house. Edward wondered with a small smile what Harry would do when he saw that he was accompanying Dumbledore and, better still, he tried to imagine the reaction of the Dursleys when they understood that the charming young man who had been giving their son private lessons was a wizard... That could be fun, all in all, and Ed was in dire need of a change of pace after all he had been through.

Professor Dumbledore, after finally finishing his little camouflage work, rang the doorbell. Even from behind the door, Edward distinctly heard Mr. Dursley growling, complaining that they were coming to disturb them at this late hour.

" _This is getting_ _better and better_ ," Edward thought with a sardonic smile: if Harry's uncle was not even aware of their arrival, the evening was off to an interesting and entertaining appearance. Not to mention that Dumbledore's outfit (a cape, wizard's robe and pointed hat) stood in stark contrast to the normality that emanated from the subdivision house, typical of residential neighborhoods in the London suburbs. Finally, he had done well to come because the confrontation to come was growing more and more funny for those who went to watch the show. He hoped Harry was sufficiently recovered from Sirius' death to enjoy the show...

When the door opened, Professor Dumbledore said amiably:

"Good evening, you must be Mr. Dursley, I guess Harry told you I was coming to get him."

Judging by Vernon Dursley's stunned look at the benevolent look of the wizard, which was practically a copy of the ideas that the people of this world had about a certain Merlin, he was not aware of their coming. Edward, seeing Mr Dursley's eyes widen as he saw him behind the venerable wizard, gave him a small wave of his hand, with a kind smile and a "good evening" trumpeting him. It had been several weeks since he had not had so much fun and no one could honestly blame him for laughing at the expense of Harry's uncle, right?

"Judging by your expression of outright disbelief, Harry did not warn you of my arrival," continued Professor Dumbledore gently, before continuing: "But make it as if you had warmly invited me to your house- it is not wise to linger long on the threshold of a house in these troubled times..."

Then, with a sense of embarrassment that did not pose any problem to Edward, they entered the house. While Dumbledore filled the silence with a discussion about gardening, Edward was looking for Harry and found him half hidden on the steps of the stairs, watching the conversation. Regardless of this poor attempt at espionage, the young alchemist waved to him and Dumbledore was quick to say hello to him too, giving Harry a warm, caring look.

The old wizard's friendly tone seemed to aggravate Mr Dursley's mood. He was beginning to flush and to express his indignation at this untimely entrance before Professor Dumbledore cut him off again with wise words about silence and politeness. Edward sometimes had the impression of being in front of his father, a person who could disarm a conflict just by ignoring it completely and just because of that, Edward doubted that he could get along with Dumbledore completely. Not to mention the indiscretion committed by the Headmaster towards him by subjecting him to his twisted test...

Pushing those thoughts away for later, Edward watched as the old wizard greeted Petunia who seemed as shocked by Dumbledore's arrival as by the fact that Ed was also a wizard, judging by how her eyes went from him to the professor. Dudley Dursley had the same expression of crass stupidity as last year, even if the astonishment made him look even less intelligent, which Edward would never have thought possible. Harry had come down the stairs and now gave him a quizzical look to which Edward silently answered with a "He asked me to come after finding me, I don't know any more than you do..."

Meanwhile, Professor Dumbledore had even invited himself to sit in the Dursley's living room, seeing that the small family did not react, still shocked at the old wizard's arrival. Edward decided to mimic the carelessness on the verge of rudeness of Professor Dumbledore, thinking that he at least had the excuse of a bad example, settling comfortably in a chair opposite the Headmaster. Shortly thereafter, the three members of the Dursley family were "invited" to sit on the couch, magically moved thanks to Professor Dumbledore.

At that moment, Edward noticed the blackened hand that he had not noticed until now because of the darkness where it had been plunged. He saw that Harry had noticed it as well and was about to question Professor Dumbledore, but in a predictable way, he dismissed this topic of conversation with a simple "later". But Edward would have liked to know what might have been powerful enough to reach the old man as well.

The latter spoke again, this time addressing Mr. Dursley:

"I thought you were going to offer me refreshments but from what I've seen so far, it seems like it would be optimism close to foolishness."

After these words, the old wizard brought out an old bottle and six glasses that he filled generously and flew to each of the occupants of the room. Edward seized his with suspicion and sipped carefully, warned by his experience with the firewhiskey, but the alcohol was not as strong in this drink which had a taste quite closer to Butterbeer. Clearly, it was pretty tasty and Ed enjoyed it. He had a hard time laughing when he saw the way the glasses had tapped the foreheads of the three Dursleys who refused to accept anything offered by anyone of _their_ kind. As expected, the evening promised to be happier than he had expected and he openly flashed a smirk.

Then, Dumbledore began to address the difficult subject of the ingeritance left by Sirius Black, Harry's godfather. Out of discretion the alchemist pretended not to hear anything, even though he managed to grasp that Harry was apparently inheriting a large sum of gold and the personal belongings of his godfather. Unfortunately, the personal conversation between Harry and his mentor was regularly interrupted by Vernon Dursley and his lack of tact as well as his greed. Ed saw with a slight amusement that the glasses became more and more insistent with the three Dursleys, but he quickly stopped paying attention to them to take up the problem of 12 Grimmauld Place.

Apparently, because of the testimony and legal harassment of the pureblood wizards, the ancestral home could very well be inherited by Black's cousin, Bellatrix Lestrange, from sinister memory. In case this disastrous assumption proved correct, the Order of the Phoenix had to evacuate the old house urgently. It remained to be seen how Dumbledore would verify that 12 Grimmauld Place was part of Harry's property. It was then that Dumbledore was interrupted by the cry of Vernon Dursley:

"Will you get rid of these damn things?!"

Edward could not resist and burst out laughing at the way the family was attacked by their glasses, spilling the mysterious drink all over them. Dumbledore excused himself and made the glasses disappear while reproaching the Dursleys for not having accepted the refreshments. Then the Headmaster picked up from where he had left off, saying that Harry, besides Sirius' house, had also inherited his house elf, Kreacher.

The magical being seemed to demonstrate some reluctance to enter Harry's service and the young wizard himself seemed reluctant to use the elf who according to last year's explanations was partly responsible for Sirius' death. But the Boy-Who-Lived quickly came to his senses and finally ordered Kreacher to be quiet. Edward watched in fascination as to how a sort of magical current was created between his friend and the elf, even if it seemed to be done reluctantly. The alchemist knew from his studies that the current would allow the elf to have access to the great current of power from the Gate of this world. It was the kind of thing Edward saw more and more since his adventure in the Department of Mysteries, when he saw the Portal of Truth of this world in the form of the Veil. Another mystery to add to his collection.

Edward returned to the current discussion, which now dealt with a hippogriff named Buckbeak who apparently belonged to Sirius. Then came the moment when Professor Dumbledore asked Harry if he had prepared his suitcase. The latter was troubled, a sign that he had not, and he rushed to the stairs, quickly followed by Edward. The blond shouted that he was going to help him, largely because he did not want to stay in the den with the tension in the room.

Harry noticed the blond had not grown much in two weeks, but the opposite would have been even more amazing. However, he decided not to point out this, ahem, _little_ fact to his friend who was very likely already very aware of the subject... He continued to wear the red coat he had worn at the Department of Mysteries, apparently feeling comfortable in it.

"So," Edward asked as he climbed the stairs to his room, "how have you been doing?"

"I've been okay," Harry said as he rushed to his room, "I got a lot of letters about you when you disappeared at King's Cross station. Everyone was wondering where you were. "

The letters came from Ron and Hermione as well as from the Order of the Phoenix. Everyone had feared that the boy had been kidnapped by the Death Eaters and that his body would be found in the days to come, but Harry was not too worried about it. During the past year, he had come to know Edward well with his reluctance to follow orders and his fully owned independence. He was certain that his friend had simply taken off to be able to live without being to told what to do by the Order of the Phoenix.

"I did not want to be locked up somewhere, thank you very much!" Ed growled in a bad mood.

"Does that mean that the fact that Professor Dumbledore found you was not planned?" The Boy-Who-Lived asked with a wry smile, opening the door of his room.

"Oh, okay, Mr. Chosen One..." Edward muttered as he walked into the room and pointed to one of the stacks of newspapers on the window sill.

"Please ... you're not going to put yourself there either!" Harry begged, starting to pack his things or stuff them loose in his trunk.

Edward sighed at his friend's very… special sense of organization and began to go behind his friend to try and arrange the impending disaster.

"Don't worry, I'm not going to bother you about it." The alchemist laughs, folding things quickly before placing them in the large suitcase.

"Did you have time to read the newspapers?" The Boy-Who-Lived asked as he straightened the stacks of unfinished homework into one of the pockets of his trunk.

"Yes, no problem, I know what's going on with wizards and muggles." Edward replied shrugging his shoulders while carefully corking some vials of concoctions.

"What do you think of Scrimgeour?" Harry asked curiously. He was in charge of the Brockdale Bridge after it was attacked by the Death Eaters."

"He's a smarter guy than Fudge, which isn't exactly hard," grumbled the young Amestrian, putting the vials in the box of the Potions kit. "He's an old politician and an old auror. I'd rather have the Auror who acts like a politician than a moron who doesn't know what he's talking about."

"So you were there, in the Brockdale Bridge case. It took a little time for me to figure it, but it became obvious..." Harry commented, rummaging through the hiding place under the floor of his room to remove the treats hidden in it.

"How did you know?" Ed asked curiously before slapping his forehead mentally: he had just revealed it!

"I figured it out when I saw pictures of the ugly pillars on the repaired bridge. You have weird taste, you know." declared the Boy-Who-Lived, chuckling at the outraged expression of his friend.

"My style is cool, thank you very much. Yes, I was there by chance and I stopped it my way, but that did not stop one of those bastards from murdering a girl in front of me." Edward whispered in a dark voice, throwing empty bottles and broken feathers into the trash that cluttered the trunk and floor of the room.

"But you saved dozens of people by acting, at least you did something." Said the raven-haired wizard as he gathered his Firebolt and his photo album that were part of his most precious possessions.

"The Daily Prophet presented the facts differently," the alchemist commented.

Harry gave him a mocking look, clearly saying, "Who believes the Prophet completely anymore?" But he understood by seeing his friend's gloomy air that it was a sensitive subject: like him, he had to feel responsible for the person he could not save. Hermione would be glad to know that she would now have two people on her hands with a hero complex... At least now, he was not alone anymore.

"And what do you think of safety measures recommended by the Ministry?" asked the Boy-Who-Lived, wanting the opinion of the professional that was Edward for that kind of thing.

"Not very useful for most, but the idea of code between members of a group is interesting." Edward commented, stacking the grimoires in the suitcase with the utmost care.

"I'd already know which one to use with you," Harry smirked as he balanced his scales and copper telescope in his cauldron.

"If you dare say that I'm small, I'll hit you on your head so hard that only the bumps will still allow you to be the same size as me!" warned the blond and very sensitive teen.

"It's really you!" The wizard laughed, bursting into laughter at his friend's grumpy look.

"Very funny," Ed mumbled as he put the cauldron in the space that was left in the trunk: there was not even a need to climb on it to force it shut.

"You're a storage maniac, aren't you?" Harry said grabbing the handle of the suitcase.

"Let's say I know how to keep my things in order, unlike some." Edward replied, raising an eyebrow at Harry. "My desk in Ravenclaw always was covered with a lot of books, but I knew how to find my way in. My disorder is carefully ordered and woe to whoever touches it!"

Harry did not comment and started down the stairs as Edward helped him hold one of the handles of the suitcase. The atmosphere downstairs was still tense and their departure would be welcome. Nevertheless, before that, Dumbledore wanted to say a few things. The first was about Voldemort who was back. Because of this, the Headmaster wanted the Dursley to welcome Harry until he was seventeen. He also took the opportunity to rebuke the Dursleys for the way they treated Harry and raised Dudley. Edward had known the obese boy enough to know that the damage inflicted was not physical, but rather moral and behavioral. The Dursley's son would probably have great difficulties in his life later.

Clearly, the Dursleys had not understood Dumbledore's point, even though Dudley looked strangely pensive. Nevertheless, despite the reproach for abuse that had outraged them, the family agreed to take Harry back for next year one last time before he left permanently. Harry left after a hurried "goodbye." Edward contented himself with a sardonic smirk that made the Dursleys shudder. Then, after that, the group of three went, in the words of Dumbledore, off in pursuit of the wayward temptress called Adventure.

The night was calm, but nevertheless, Professor Dumbledore told them to have their wands in hand just in case. Edward, who was definitely not used to using this instrument, had to dig through the bag where he kept all his belongings, most of which had been miniaturized before his departure from Hogwarts and which he had not touched since. Working magic had not been his priority in the last two weeks and since the Brockdale incident he had not touched the wizards' favorite tool, blaming it unconsciously for his failure.

Once he had his wand in hand, the teen walked after Dumbledore and Harry. He was not afraid of an outrageous attack: even if the Headmaster looked badly wounded in his right hand, the alchemist was convinced that he was still capable of real wonders in magic. In fact, he was certain that he would be able to take most Death Eaters, apart from Voldemort and members of the dark wizard's inner circle, down a couple pegs with only a few spells. Anyway, Dumbledore himself was also not very worried about a possible attack given his confident answer.

When they reached the end of the street drowned in the dark, the trio stopped and Dumbledore asked them if they had their Licenses to Apparate. Harry said no, and Edward had simply never heard of it. They would therefore have to resort to Side-Along Apparition by clinging to the old wizard's left arm. Edward had a bad feeling when he and Harry gripped the director's left arm and he was not disappointed when he had the horrible feeling of being squeezed through a pipe, unable to breathe he felt so pressed on all sides by magic. Finally, they landed in another place and Edward immediately fell to his knees trying to quell his nausea. Harry looked slightly better than him, but only barely.

Albus Dumbledore asked him how he felt. Edward mumbled with deep conviction that he hated all forms of wizarding transportation and that next time he would be taking the train, the only civilized means of transport here. Harry seemed to share his opinion, except that he preferred brooms, which, whatever, nobody was perfect...

After a few moments of walking in the middle of the deserted village, Dumbledore seemed to decide to ask Harry a question:

"Tell me, Harry, your scar, does it hurt?"

Harry said no, although he would have thought it would hurt him permanently now that Voldemort had become so powerful. Dumbledore seemed satisfied and expressed the almost certain assumption that the dark wizard was now using Occlumency against Harry.

"Good," said the latter. "But I had made great progress in the last few months and he could not show me anything anymore. The only time he was able to penetrate my thoughts was the day of the History of Magic exam."

"Indeed, I understand that you have made a lot of progress in Occlumency, and I must say that I am satisfied that you and Professor Snape have agreed to work together despite your differences."

Harry made a weird noise that could be considered an acquiescence or denial before he declared honestly to give back to Caesar what is Caesar's:

"Without Edward and his advice, I would never have done it, and in the end it was Ed who was using Legilimency under Sn- Professor Snape's control." Harry corrected himself before he thought he might have kept this information confidential.

"Yes... I understood that, according to Severus, you have a gift in Legilimency, in addition to Occlumency... Your demonstration in the Department of Mysteries was indeed the proof of a brilliant talent, although a terribly dangerous one." Dumbledore said to Edward this time, who shrugged.

"Who knows, I do not like to use Legilimency, because for me it's almost rape, but at least this time it showed that it could be useful to save someone's life." declared the alchemist bitterly.

"Um ... Professor Dumbledore, where are we exactly?" Harry asked as much out of curiosity as to divert the thread from a conversation that seemed to annoy Ed.

According to Professor Dumbledore, they were in the charming village of Budleigh Babberton, in order to recruit a new teacher to the educational facility of Hogwarts or more exactly, a former colleague of Dumbledore. Harry then asked some questions about why they had not flown, the answer being rudeness and the presence of an anti-Apparition barrier. The conversation then turned to politics with the dismissal of Fudge and the arrival of Scrimgeour as minister. Unfortunately, Dumbledore was as chilly in revelations about his apparent disagreement with the minister as about what happened to his right hand.

Then Harry directed the discussion to the ministry pamphlet that everyone, including Dumbledore, had received. Although the Headmaster's smile clearly showed all the good he thought of the brochure, the Boy-Who-Lived was entitled to a disguised rebuke when Dumbledore told him that he had asked any personal information known only to them to identify him . At the same time, Dumbledore was the kind of person on which one seemed to know a lot without having personal information on him...

Then Harry asked what an Inferi was and Dumbledore explained in a very calm voice that it was a corpse bewitched by a Dark Mage to obey them. At that moment, terrifying images of the Promised Day appeared in Edward's mind. He turned pale and trembled on his legs as he thought of those horrible puppets of white flesh, thirsting for life and impossible to stop. Falling to his knees again, this time, Edward's stomach could not bear the shock and he vomited profusely before getting up again, his flushed face dripping with sweat while whispering while remaining as vague as possible: "It's nothing ... maybe a memory ".

"It seems, Edward, that you've already met such a creature." Professor Dumbledore not-quite-asked, still searching for information while cleaning the vomit on the boy's face with a wave of his wand.

"It's possible ..." said Edward, dismissing from his memory that day of fear, which he definitely did not want to remember now alongside a master in Legilimency: "I also remember that the fire was very effective, is that right? "

"Yes, but Voldemort killed enough people to build up a real army." Dumbledore said.

Suddenly, the old wizard stopped suddenly: the door of the house they were heading towards lay on the ground, shattered...


	3. Chapter 3

Hey! *dodges well-deserved tomatoes* I know I haven't updated in a long time, and I'm sorry. I've lost a lot of interest in Harry Potter thanks to J. K. "I can't fucking shut up even when I really should" Rowling and my French has stalled due to the shitty French program at my university. Thank you all for the support you've given me, and I hope to at least catch this upto date with the original (as of February 15) before the end of this semester.

Thank you again for all the support, and enjoy the chapter!

* * *

Seeing the door torn off its hinges, Edward immediately felt fear running in his veins and instinctively took a fighting stance before realizing that he also had a wand and that in the face of wizards he was probably better off using powerful spells than his martial arts. But the young Amestrian had still preserved the survival habits of his world and did not abandon them so easily... In front of the ruined entryway, Professor Dumbledore, meanwhile, ordered them to stay behind him before entering the house carefully, lighting the hall with a _lumos_.

When they entered the living room, a scene of desolation awaited them: the clock was shattered on the floor and the magnificent piano had been reduced to pieces. The white and black keys were strewn on the floor and fragments of the crystal chandelier lay shattered across the floor. Feathers from the now disemboweled cushions also littered the ground. Multiple delicate porcelain trinkets had been reduced to powder by what appeared to be a violent fight. Blood stains painted the walls, but Edward noticed that there was no body in the room. This was his first hint: Injuries causing such a large blood loss would have left someone in serious condition.

A feather that was still floating in the room was the second suspicious clue: the fight, if it had been a fight, had been recent. Too recent. According to Dumbledore, this house had to be equipped with anti-Apparition charms and so, to be able to disappear from here with their victim, the attackers would have been forced to go out and in this case they would have been seen. Of course, there was the possibility that they were still hiding in the house, but Edward's trained ear would have heard them. So the scene before them was meant to deceive, and this fight scene was not really one.

When Harry suggested that the attackers might have taken their future teacher, Dumbledore replied that he did not think so and Edward gave a rather strange little smile in such a morbid mood, adding:

"The fight scene is too recent, Harry, he's still hiding here ..."

"Edward is right, Harry ... The proof ..."

And without warning, Dumbledore thrust his wand into the padded chair that screamed, proving to Edward that it was not a metamorphosis spell but an illusion charm that gave the bald man in front of them the appearance of an upholstered armchair. The wand had squeezed into the wizard (who had a huge walrus mustache)'s fat belly. The wizard rubbed his stomach in discomfort as Edward thought with amusement that the scene would have been funnier if the wand had stuck in him. However, even surprised in such a grotesque situation, the former teacher did not seem at all embarrassed and wanted to know what had betrayed him.

Apparently, Dumbledore had deduced what had happened by the absence of the Dark Mark, but anyway, as Edward himself understood, the man named Horace had not had much time to put it all together. After this explanation, the two wizards forming a striking contrast, one thin and tall, the other small and round, began to back to tidy the room from top to bottom in record time. At this, Edward made a slightly sarcastic aside about Harry's skills at organizing of his belongings. But as the dark-haired wizard noted, magic for such mundane purposes was forbidden to undergraduates ...

Edward did not pay too much attention to the conversation that followed, uninterested in the loss of dragon blood and the prohibitive costs of it. On the other hand, he became attentive again when Dumbledore made the introductions:

"This is Harry Potter and Edward Elric Flamel. Harry, Edward, this is an old friend and colleague, Horace Slughorn."

Given the way Dumbledore had subtly insisted on the name of Flamel and Harry Potter, Edward began to think they were there for a reason that now seemed clear to him. When he started in the army and even afterwards, many people were attracted to the prodigal state alchemist he was, and there were many who had invited him around in the hope of receiving favors. These numbers of flattery and this disguised corruption, of which former Colonel Yoki had been only one of the many examples, had been quickly understood by the young alchemist. Colonel Mustang had insisted on giving him lessons immediately after he joined the army on this subject and had taught him everything to watch out for.

At the time, Edward was not thrilled to learn this kind of thing that was so against his frank and straightforward nature, but he quickly understood that it was essential to survive and advance in the midst of senior military and of the aristocracy. Basically, Roy Mustang had just taught him politeness lessons and made him less naive about people who would have had no qualms about manipulating a boy who was barely twelve years old ... When he would come back to Amestris, Edward would thank him... a little... maybe.

But for the moment, it seemed clear to Edward that Dumbledore was using their respective celebrity to encourage his former colleague to return to teach at Hogwarts. Edward had no problem with it, as the little fat man did not annoy him with exaggerated sympathy. The former state alchemist was quite ready to shamelessly exploit the name of Flamel he had been wearing for a year. After all, at least that way it was doing something. As soon as he was presented, Edward gave Slughorn his most brilliant smile (and, according to Alphonse, his less sincere expression) and sat down, just like Harry, in front of the former professor.

Edward thought that Harry himself must have understood why he was there now, but he could always be wrong. For someone who was such a well-known figure in the wizarding world, his friend seemed surprisingly unable to handle his public image without help. Luckily, he was also (and thankfully by the way) humble and modest, which avoided making him unbearable. But sometimes Edward thought that Mustang's lessons on manipulation wouldn't have hurt the famous wizard, either.

Concealing the cunning gleam of his gaze, Edward accepted the glass Slughorn handed him on a tray and thanked him warmly with a big smile. Dumbledore himself seemed rather pleased to see how the young boy entered his game and he began to politely inquire about the health of his old friend who apparently was not doing very well because of the problems of old age: rheumatism, breathing problems, fatigue... And yet, the plump man had managed to create a disaster scene in less than two minutes despite his being overweight and his difficulties... Edward, just for that, would tip his hat. However, he did not appreciate Slughorn's otherwise irritating and excessive decadence.

Then the discussion turned to Dumbledore's health, especially his hand, and Edward distinctly felt his hair bristling on his neck and an unpleasant shiver as he looked at it. This gave him the same kind of impression as when he was facing a Homunculus: a thing against nature and that should not exist. That must have been the sensation caused by the black magic, something opposing the rules established by Nature.

When Dumbledore showed his hand intact, however, Edward was fascinated by the ring, or rather the stone sealed in the ring. It had the same fascinating color as the Gate of Truth and the young Alchemist could not help feeling mysteriously attracted to this artifact. But he refrained from showing his interest too much: Dumbledore seemed to be a little more confident and to get information on his mission, it was probably better for him to let the old man continue in order to dismiss his suspicions. Nevertheless, he swore to keep a close eye on this stone in the future because a mysterious instinct (which seemed to him a little _Truth-_ y...) whispered to him that it would be important in the future.

Edward turned his attention to the discussion again: apparently, unlike the Ministry and the majority of the magical population, Slughorn had believed Dumbledore on the spot when he announced Voldemort's return a year ago. That could say two things: either Slughorn blindly trusted Dumbledore, which his refusal to return to teach Hogwarts belied, or he was terrified of Voldemort and knew he had come back from the dead... The latter hypothesis was much more interesting to the eyes of Edward and the boy were beginning to wonder what the wizard could possibly conceal and the exact reason why Dumbledore was so keen to see him come back to Hogwarts... Maybe he, too, wanted to discover his secret.

The conversation turned for a moment to the subject of Umbridge, a sinister memory, whom which Horace Slughorn had heard unsavory rumors of. Dumbledore's explanation of her fate provoked both derision from the former teacher and a laughter from the two young boys who remembered very well what had happened that night between the sickening woman and the flock of centaurs in the Forbidden Forest. Now that Harry and Edward had drawn attention to them, Dumbledore decided to take the opportunity to leave them alone with his friend and asked for directions to the restroom which Slughorn gave him reluctantly.

The ex-teacher stood up, trying to remove from his field of vision the temptation that the two boys sitting in front of him seemed to represent. Slughorn tried to tell them he knew why they had been brought but innocent looks from Edward and Harry was his only answer. Slughorn was now watching them more closely and began to tell Harry the usual banalities: his father's appearance, his mother's eyes, banalities that Harry was tired of hearing. Then he spoke to Edward:

"I had heard that Nicolas Flamel had adopted an heir but I admit that I did not think this rumor was based in any sort of truth, young man... So it's true, he really recognized you as his successor?"

"That's what he said in his will, sir," Edward said politely, adding a little embroidering: "he did not leave me his fortune or the secret of the Philosopher's Stone, contrary to what a lot of people think. But when I solved a riddle he used to ask, he told me that it made me his spiritual heir, hence the adoption. "

"I see, I see," Slughorn enthused. "Not that gold interests me, of course, but to be able to solve his test, you must be a bright and talented young man!"

"Oh, you know, I only learned that I was a wizard last year, actually," Edward replied, "I'm going to try to pass the OWLs this year, though, which I don't think will be too impossible for me." He added with some false modesty, ignoring Harry's astonished expression that he had never seen his friend behave so politely.

"What an extremely bright young man!" Exclaimed the former professor, visibly delighted before talking about Harry's mother, saying that she was one of her favorites and that she should have belonged to his house .

"What was your house?" Harry asked then.

"I was head of Slytherin, but you must not blame me for that." Slughorn exclaimed as he saw Harry's shoulder stiffening.

"What subject did you teach?" asked Edward who strongly doubted that this teacher would replace Umbridge this year...

"Potions, didn't Albus tell you?" Slughorn asked, crunching a treat.

Hearing Professor Slughorn's response, Harry felt struck by lightning and yet now Edward's question seemed logical because it was hard to see this old man teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts in these troubled times... However, if Slughorn was teaching Potions next year in accordance with Dumbledore's wishes, that would mean that the Defense position would remain vacant and that Snape was certainly going to be the one who would be offered it since his position would be taken. It was such a surprise for Harry to hear such news and the boy was having a hard time hiding his surprise at the turn of events.

Admittedly, the relationship between him and the professor of Potions had become neutral: In class, at the end of the year, he had stopped verbally attacking him and was usually content to ignore him. He did not insult him too badly and even intercepted an ingredient that Malfoy had thrown into his cauldron. He graded him honestly- at least, he thought Snape did- and his last try of the year had even received the grade of E, a feat in his class. For his part, Harry had tried not to make waves and to respect, if not the whole man, at least the few qualities he showed openly. Edward had helped him a lot during last year's Occlumency lessons and the virtual disappearance of the tension between them removed a weight Harry hadn't even realized he'd been carrying this whole time. It would never be friendship between them but at least it would no longer be the open hostility that had been present for almost five years.

Could the fact that Snape could become his Defense Professor change something for him? Harry was good at the subject, and he also knew that Professor Snape (he even corrected himself, Ed definitely had a rather strong influence on him) excelled at it as well. With him, at least, they would really learn something about real defense. Also, if he was no longer the potions teacher, that would mean that he might have a chance to continue his Auror studies if he had only E at his OWL test ...

Ultimately, it might be in Harry's interest that Slughorn become the potion teacher so both get into the game. Also, Edward seemed to find the situation amusing so much so encourage this guy to become his teacher, even if he did not respect him more than tha ... It was difficult, in fact, to estimate a person who was living by illegally entering the homes of people while striving to maintain a high standard of living with confectionery and cozy interiors while other people like Sirius had lived in much harder circumstances...

But if to become auror, Harry had to listen to Slughorn's soliloquy about the people and relationships he knew personally, as well as ordinary little prejudices (though Slughorn forbid), so the boy was ready for the idea, even if it sometimes made some adjustments especially for Hermione. The former potion teacher looked to be more of a talent collector and he seemed to love more than anything to show his collection of relationships that offered him all sorts of favors or gifts.

Undoubtedly understanding that the teacher's lack of contact with his old favorites and how the current state of the world was lacking, Edward seemed to decide to add fuel to the fire, noting how hard it must be for him to no longer be able to access his web of relationships. Understanding where his friend was going, Harry added that Hogwarts was a safe place compared to the rest of the wizarding world, insisting on the security measures specifically for Hogwarts and reaffirming how Dumbledore was the only person Voldemort could truly be said to fear. Edward could see in Slughorn's last words how he was really being tempted by the experience of returning to teach at Hogwarts.

Edward and Harry glared at each other, seeing how much the poor man looked at them with envy. Now, Harry understood very well that the teacher wanted to add him to his hunting board and although it was a little inconvenient for the young wizard, he could pass on the inconvenience as long as it remained temporary. Edward, on the other hand, seemed quite ready to take advantage of the opportunity, showing an opportunistic side that Harry had known about his friend but that he only rarely showed.

Professor Dumbledore then appeared and pretended to throw in the towel, claiming that he could see that this was lost cause. But now, Harry knew enough about what had just happened to understand that the professor had come back exactly as the scales began to lean toward him. It was quite amusing to see Slughorn's expression as he was tormented by his dilemma. It was likely Dumbledore's last words recalling Hogwarts' increased defenses and Harry and Edward's "innocent" smiles as they had talked to him that decided if for the former teacher to re-accept his position... in exchange for a raise.

The little group came out of the house and started down the hill. Harry slammed his hand into Edward's hand in a victorious high five, both bearing an air of perfect satisfaction. Dumbledore watched this little moment of complicity before declaring:

"I see that you both had a perfect understanding of what I expected from you... Congratulations!"

"Oh, half the credit goes to Harry," Edward said in a falsely pompous tone.

"And you gave a performance worthy of Gilderoy Lockhart!" complimented Harry in the same tone as he restrained himself from laughing at the somewhat stunned look of his friend who had not really known this character in his worst moments.

"I do not know if I should take it as an insult or a compliment ..." Edward mumbled, skeptical.

"And if not, what did you think of Horace?" Asked Professor Dumbledore.

"The guy's pretty conceited, likes his little comforts and really does not want to be bothered by them, the kind who likes to make relationships and profit from them." Ed replies, little known for his tact and delicacy most of the time.

"It's a way of summarizing things," Dumbledore said with a smile, not taking offense at Edward's crude candor towards his friend.

Then the professor drew a more solid portrait of Professor Slughorn: a man who was really attached to his little comforts, loving the company of famous people, close to power and success. A teacher who loved to surround himself with Hogwarts people with talent, charm, intelligence and ambition and recommend them in the club he had created and whose participants were all old favorites of Professor Slughorn. Dumbledore also added that his colleague would definitely be delighted to add the Boy-Who-Lived, or the Chosen One as Harry was now introduced, to his collection.

Harry groaned as he heard the nickname that was now in the press and thought that Ed would also be one of the masterpieces in Slughorn's collection. Edward had charm and a certain charisma (he had heard enough girls talking about it in the Gryffindor common room). He had exceptional talent and magical power when he knew how to master it, and that was without mentioning Edward's intelligence that had landed him as a Ravenclaw... The only thing he seemed to miss was ambition but Harry was convinced that if his friend was given a vital goal, he would be able to put all his considerable talent to reach his goal at any cost. In the end, if Slughorn decided to add him to his collection, at least Harry would have the consolation of not being alone.

* * *

Harry came out of his thoughts when they arrived in front of the church and they had to apparate again. The young wizard noticed with amusement that Edward had still not overcome his motion sickness, judging by the swearing and grabbing of his stomach. But the sight in front of him warmed Harry's heart: the Burrow, the welcoming, warm Weasley's house was waiting for him. But before he could return to his second home, Professor Dumbledore wanted to talk to him face to face in the family's shed. Edward seemed to understand that the conversation was private and went to sit under a tree, trying to calm his nausea.

Initially, the conversation concerned Sirius and the subject was approached with delicacy. For Harry, the subject was still painfully sensitive, especially when he remembered that Sirius would never write to him again but the young wizard had already begun to mourn: he knew that the dead would not want them to be slaughtered, they would like them to keep struggling and Harry was quite determined to stick to that now. This decided answer earned him Dumbledore's approval, as well as a certain admiration that warmed Harry's heart a little.

Then the Headmaster addressed the subject of the prophecy, a subject at least as delicate as Sirius. Harry had read the Daily Prophet and was able to see all the theories about him being chosen to defeat Voldemort. Although Dumbledore assured him that no one knew the truth except the two of them, the young wizard could not help but find that the newspaper's hypotheses had gotten just a little too close for comfort. He had never mentioned the prophecy to anyone, not even his friends, but Dumbledore thought he could still retain Ron and Hermione by insisting that he needed them, a precision that led Harry to ask:

"What about Edward?"

Professor Dumbledore seemed to think for long minutes before answering:

"Regarding young Edward, I do not know, he appeared very mysteriously and although until then all his acts have turned out to be positive, he remains an enigma filled with secrets."

"But Edward is the one who encouraged me to see things in another way, professor," Harry replied respectfully, but with determination: "He really showed us how to fight against the Death Eaters as in a real battle and not like in a duel following the rules. He explained things to me about Snape... er, Professor Snape, and taught me to use Occlumency. It was he who saved our lives several times in the Ministry by playing bait. He used Legilimency to push me to reject Voldemort's possession. He is my friend and I trust him with my life!"

"In that case, Harry, I trust your choice, but I recommend you to think about it and always be attentive."

"I trust Ed." Harry insisted.

"Something else, Harry, I'd like to give you private lessons this year." Dumbledore said while remaining very vague about course content.

"Will it be related to Occlumency, or will I need to continue to learn it with Snape... er, Professor Snape and Edward?" asked the young dark wizard, hoping this was not the case. His relationship may have improved slightly with the potions master but not to the point of wanting him in his thoughts...

"No, these courses are going to stop now that Voldemort is trying to close your mind at all costs." Besides, Professor Snape himself admitted, in his words, that, and I quote, 'the young Elric had apparently managed to allow you to make some minor progress in this area.'"

"It's all about him." assured Harry with a jeering smile before adding, "He's going to be terribly disappointed to be in his Defense class, right?"

"Oh, I see that dear Horace has already spoiled his favorite subject." replied Professor Dumbledore with an amused look in his blue eyes.

After the last recommendations about the safety of the Burrow and his own, Harry and Dumbledore came out of the shed to join Edward who was waiting near the tree.

* * *

Edward had been waiting for about a quarter of an hour sitting with his back against his tree and staring thoughtfully at the stars. For a moment, he thought of all those he had left in Amestris: Alphonse, Master Izumi, Mustang and his teammates, Ling and his bodyguard, all his friends... They all must miss him terribly but the only consolation he had to be content with was to know that when he returned, it would have been only a minute that he was gone. So it just meant that he had to be strong to support the separation and so the others would not notice it.

Turning away from his thoughts, he wondered what was being said in the cabin between Harry and the Headmaster. He preferred to avoid using his alchemy spying methods because Dumbledore might notice it and it was better to avoid that. He hoped his friend would trust him enough and tell him. Sometimes Edward was a little angry at not being able to reveal as much about himself to the young Gryffindor but he had walked into a deal with Truth and could not break it. But Edward was terribly sorry that he could not be totally honest with his friend and not have an "equivalent" relationship between them.

Finally, the two wizards left the cabin and were welcomed by a simple gesture of the young alchemist. The trio headed to the back entrance of the Burrow and entered the kitchen. After a tense moment Mrs. Weasley was relieved and let them in. When she saw that Edward was with them, she immediately squeezed him, smothering him almost as much as Harry did:

"Oh, Edward, sweetheart, you made us so worried when you disappeared at the train station, goodness, without Nymphadora we would never have known you were still alive, I'm so happy, Professor Dumbledore thought you and Harry would not get here until tomorrow morning, it scared me when you hit..."

"We were lucky, Slughorn was more easily persuaded than I expected thanks to Edward and Harry. Of course, hello Nymphadora!"

The young Auror had not changed much since last time: her hair was always a chestnut or a mouse color that she wore with rather depressed air. However, she still glared at Edward, apparently still annoyed at him for his deception about a week ago by making her drink. Undoubtedly still embarrassed by all the revelations she had made to Edward, she quickly took her leave although Dumbledore seemed to be trying to push her to stay by inviting Remus Lupin... Professor Dumbledore was soon after her and soon the two boys were left alone with Mrs. Weasley inspecting them from head to toe.

She first commented that Harry and Ron had grown to the point of believing that they had undergone an elongation spell before starting to comment on Ed's leanness and especially on Edward's size (which had not changed much). But seeing Edward's forehead vein begin to pound, she had to be more careful not to risk waking the other occupants of the house. She changed the subject by offering soup and giving news of Hermione who had arrived the day before.

While Edward drank his hot soup with obvious pleasure, he listened to the discussion about their future potions teacher, saying much the same about him as Dumbledore about his tendency toward favoritism... Then, she announced news she was visibly burning to reveal: her husband had been promoted and Arthur Weasley was now at the head of the bureau of detection and confiscation of false spells of defense, one of the many services created to respond to the current situation. Edward did not have the heart to tell Mrs. Weasley that this post would only last as long as the war would continue but after all, the young alchemist did not know what the future would be like so he could let the brave woman have her moment.

Mrs. Weasley explained that following the announcement of the return of Voldemort, product sellers selling items supposed to protect against the Black Mage and his henchmen appeared everywhere, taking advantage of the anxiety of the population. But sometimes, under these scams hid real threats when Death Eaters introduced their own bewitched artifacts that were truly dangerous. Nevertheless, this did not prevent the population from continuing to rush into these booby traps despite repeated warnings ... Edward, in his heart of hearts, thought that people, instead of trying to protect themselves against the inevitable, would do better to learn to fight instead of relying on low-level products or a boy of sixteen who had never asked to become their savior!

Edward shook his head wearily before catching sight of the Weasley clock: he had never seen one like this because the hands were named after every member of the Weasley family, and their location indicated where they were. Apparently, they were all in danger of death, which was not reassuring... Finally, Mr. Weasley arrived and he took the safety instructions very seriously because he demanded that his wife asked his question before he even poses hers. Edward had rarely felt so embarrassed and just like Harry, he had pretended not to hear anything by making as much noise as possible with his spoon. He didn't want to know their secret pet names, he felt almost like a voyeur.

For a few minutes, they discussed the new finds of the crooks on Diagon Alley, the majority of them being closer to a good joke made by Fred & George than sneaky and dangerous objects. Following this remark, the conversation deviated on what the Weasley twins were doing: apparently, their shop was working well and they were very successful, which did not surprise the young Amestrian: their pranks and jokes were really fantastic from what he had seen from their demonstrations on Umbridge... Edward was hoping with all his heart to be able to visit them.

Unfortunately, Mrs. Weasley realized the late hour and decided to send them to bed. Edward would have liked to protest, but apparently, you could not resist a woman and a mother like Mrs. Weasley and the boy had to follow Harry into the twin's old room, converted into storage space and cluttered with cardboard boxes. From what he understood, his independent run was over now and freedoms would be restricted again like last year. Edward doubted that he would be able to escape the attention of the Order this time so it was better to resign himself to staying here. He put the bag containing all his belongings in a corner and lay down in the bed that remained. Sleep quickly surprised him and Edward soon fell into the land of slumber.


	4. Chapter 4

Edward had woken well before Harry despite the late hour when he had gone to bed. He had taken out his notebook and a pen as usual and began to write (in his mother tongue) some hypotheses about how magic worked. As he had already noted earlier, he was now able to discern certain magical currents and he could associate some with the telluric currents which they were supposed to use for alchemy according to the theory. Now, since Edward had learned the origin of the alchemy of Amestris, whose source of energy had always been that of the philosopher's stone, he was much more interested in the Dragon's Pulse, which was the source for using alkahestry. After all, it seemed like it was his father, the last inhabitant of Xerxes, who had taught alchemy to Xing, so that was the best way to do it.

Pensive, Edward wrote:

 _If it is, the Dragon's Pulse and what we call telluric energies could be the same thing. Now that I see these currents, would I be able to reproduce what May Chang was doing with her remote alchemy? If it is, the telluric currents could serve as vectors in the transmutation and in this case, the kunais used by this girl could be the equivalent of geometric points with mathematical data on them. By translating all this into mathematical and alchemical equations, this could give a more effective result than Alphonse's during his tests. And now that there is no more interference from this damn philosopher's stone, it will probably be easier for my brother and me to understand what-_

Edward came out of his thoughts when he heard loud footsteps on the stairs. Soon, his door swung open and he saw Ron perform a great flying leap to land on Harry's bed. Knowing that the redhead had grown in the last few weeks, the landing was certainly more painful for Harry than for Ron. The curtains were opened wide and the light flooded the room. Edward looked at all the crazies, er, all the friends who came to welcome them and smiled as he saw his friend rubbing his head after the landing by the youngest Weasley boy. The questions and the answers between Harry and Ron and Hermione followed one another in the general excitement.

Suddenly, Hermione looked at Edward with a surprised look:

"Edward, you're here too! Everyone has been looking for you everywhere and we were really worried about you!"

"Hermione was madly worried about you but everyone else, we had faith in your ability to get yourself out of all possible situations without difficulty." Ron replied, half grumpy, half mocking.

"With all that's going on now, it's normal to be worried! And then, when we know what happened to Sirius..." Hermione commented, trying to approach the subject with the most delicacy possible.

"Did we miss breakfast?" Harry asked in his turn, to deflect the conversation from a subject he seemed determinedly unwilling to tackle.

"Do not worry about that, Mum is going to get you a platter: she says Harry is too skinny and Edward... She said the-word-that-should-not-be-spoken to say what she thinks of his condition." Ron laughed at Edward, who frowned, very displeased.

"I'm not…"

"It's not me who said it, it's Mum!" Ron defended himself before adding, "So what's up? You left with Dumbledore, you've had to have done some interesting things."

"We only recruited a new teacher," declared Edward without specifying the subject of the teacher in question.

"That's right ..." said Ron, a little disappointed, "We're going to miss a Defense Professor against the forces of evil now that Umbridge's gone. How is he? "

"Slughorn?" Harry said, glancing at Ed, who was hiding a mischievous gleam in his golden eyes... The Boy-Who-Lived hid a smile as to the farce he was going to play to his best friend and said, "He looks like a walrus. and he's a former Slytherin director ... "

He was interrupted when Ginny entered the room complaining loudly about a person who, in her words, was "driving her crazy." The discussion that followed was a little disconcerting for the two newcomers: from what Edward could see, neither Harry nor he knew who the girls were talking about with such acrimony or why Ron was defending her with such heat. The two boys were quick to get the answer when a radiant apparition entered the room in turn, and instinctively, the two young wizards pulled the covers over themselves abruptly.

The young woman in front of them was breathtakingly beautiful, tall, slender, with long blond hair and a light silver halo around her. She carried a huge tray with the contents of two breakfasts with plenty of food. A wonderful vision and straight out of a dream. Edward blinked several times in front of this beautiful woman and in his head, repeated the mantra ' _I love Winry, I'm in love with Winry_.' After repeating this incantation in his head several times, he was finally able to find the courage to meet the girl's gaze without blushing... at least, he hoped.

After laying the tray on both nightstands, she began to kiss Harry on both cheeks and the poor boy blushed as if he had spent several hours in the sun. Then, much to Edward's surprise, she turned to him, examined him for a few moments before kissing him on both cheeks as well. The young Amestrian thought that his superior, Roy Mustang, would probably have given everything to swap places with him... as long as it wasn't in sight (or shooting range) of Riza Hawkeye. Breathing a great breath to calm his tumultuous, perhaps indecent thoughts, he managed to pay attention to the words of the beautiful young woman:

"I am Fleur Delacour, I had a little talk about you and I was told that you were very cute, I see that it's true and I think you would be fine with my little sister, Gabrielle, who is 11. If you want, I'll introduce her, I'm sure you'll be a wonderful couple..."

At that moment, the anger replaced Edward's state of stupefaction, which exclaimed loudly:

"I'm about to enter my sixth year at Hogwarts. That means I'm at least 15 years old and certainly older, I'm not old enough to be with a child who has just graduated from elementary school!"

"Oh, forgive me!" explained Fleur, "It's just that you look so... young."

The young woman could have chosen a worse term to describe Edward's condition; fortunately for her, she had not chosen the term small. Hermione and Ginny seemed disappointed not to see him rage, and suddenly Edward realized at that moment that he was probably the most dangerous place on earth except Voldemort's lair or the caldera of an erupting volcano: he was stuck with jealous girls. And the girls in question did not seem very happy to have a rival to Fleur's beauty next to them, even though she was already betrothed to Bill Weasley.

On one side, Edward could understand why the girls were denigrating Fleur: she sometimes seemed tactless but on the other hand, the young woman was trying to fit into the family even though Ginny and Mrs. Weasley did not seem most happy about her presence. The matriarch reproached her son and Fleur for getting married too soon and for not taking the time for reflection without realizing that her argument was specious since she had done exactly the same thing.

After Fleur's departure, the girls continued to complaining about Fleur, noting that they would much prefer to see Tonks married to Bill rather than the young Frenchwoman and they constantly extolled the merits of the young auror regarding her intelligence and her physical talents. Whenever one of the boys tried to defend the young woman, they saw themselves scorned for that simple reason. Suddenly, Edward had only one fear...

"And you Edward, what do you think of Fleur?"

...it was asking him that kind of question. Edward was a rather straightforward boy and he was starting to get angry about that. He answered frankly:

"I think you should leave Bill and Fleur alone, they are big enough to make their own decisions, including their relationship, and one year of dating and more than a year as a fiancé will be quite long in my opinion. Tonks may be in this state for a lot of reasons, Hermione, and not just because of Sirius' death, or anything else. Maybe stop trying to fit Tonks and Bill together, you're not their chaperone!"

"We are not trying...!"protested the two indignant girls; glaring at the blond teen with menacing eyes.

"I'm also in favor of the plan, make your peace with this wedding thing and do not try to put me in a bad mood or it'll end badly!" Edward scolded as he finished his sentence by snatching a mouthful of bread and chewing it vigorously to punctuate his point.

"I like that plan..." Ron muttered, glancing at Hermione.

Everyone decided to change the subject of conversation after that and asked for news from the family: the twins' shop was doing pretty well, Mr. Weasley was overworked and Percy Weasley, the third brother Edward had never seen, still refused to see his family by refusing to admit they were right. Harry decided to reveal important news: he was going to receive private lessons with Dumbledore. Everyone, including Edward, was stunned by this news and questioned him even more: according to Harry, the Daily Prophet was right and the prophecy basically said that Harry should be the one who was going to have to kill Voldemort since neither of them could live while the other survived.

Everyone was shocked, even though Hermione received one literally when one of the Weasley gadgets exploded in her face, leaving her with a black eye. She finally got up but seemed more concerned about the news that had just announced than the injury. In Ron and Hermione's eyes, there was both anxiety about Harry's condition and hope as well, seeing how well their friend endured it with maturity and resolution. Edward admired his determination and he hoped with all his heart that he would be able to accomplish the mission of Truth without Harry having to fight. Each of them also wondered what kind of courses Professor Dumbledore would give Harry. Hermione already made assumptions about possible counter-spells, making a real list of everything he could learn with one of the greatest wizards of all times as a mentor.

Fortunately, her monologue was interrupted when Harry announced that normally they would receive the results of the OWLs today. Hermione screamed and ran down the stairs to ask Mrs. Weasley if any owls had yet arrived. The three boys sighed and decided to go down more calmly after getting dressed. Receiving his results did not really frighten Edward, who did not pay much attention to it, considering that he would not stay in this world forever, however, he was a little curious to see what scores he would receive.

The young Amestrian finally decided to come down and arrived at the moment when Hermione stamped with impatience, lamenting all the matters she thought she had missed. In her heart, Edward thought that Hermione looked like she had failed all her exams, but if that really was the case, then all classes at Hogwarts would be cancelled and the Earth would stop spinning at the same time. Basically, Hermione was just one of those annoying people who frightened others by lamenting their grades while having everything done. Hermione's scream was heard again as a group of four owls flew to the Burrow to finally land in front of each of the eagerly awaited recipients.

Edward quickly grabbed his letter and opened it calmly and detachedly, quickly went through the first sentences and immediately went to the scores while mentally commenting on his grades:

Astronomy: E (Predictably, he had learned the map of the sky at this time of the year by heart before taking his test.)

Ancient Runes: O (The test was very easy)

Charms: O (The result was as his reviewer had said)

Defense Against the Dark Arts: O (At the same time, he had contributed to giving illegal courses in this subject and he had not been handicapped by his slowness)

Arithmancy: O, (the calculations came naturally to him so he had no trouble succeeding)

Herbology: E. (Curse that Crabbe and his poisonous mushroom that made him lose points)

History of Magic: T (Very predictable, after all, he had only bothered writing a list of suggestions for improving the course and its subject matter)

Potions: O (He did not expect such a good grade, but it was pretty satisfying…)

Transfiguration: O (since it was his best subject, another score would have been amazing).

So in the end, Edward had eight OWLs, including five Outstandings, which was more than respectable. He got a T in History of Magic and it made him laugh a lot because of his feelings about it. In short, it was a great day. He glanced at the notes of the others: Harry had eight OWLs, including one Outstanding in Defense and one, to his surprise, in Divination. It must be said that he had scrupulously followed the advice of Edward to predict the departure of Umbridge and a change of Minister, two forecasts that had proved perfectly accurate... Ron had seven OWLs but no Outstandings. Hermione, of course, had ten Outstandings, and an Exceptional Effort in Defense. She was, of course, terribly disappointed.

Thus, the summer began auspiciously...

* * *

It had taken no more than two days for Edward to go mad from being locked in the Weasley's house. Even the young genius could only last a limited time working on his alchemical theories without needing to test them, which he could not do so surrounded by so many people. Conversing with Harry and his friends had gone well for a while but very quickly the topics of conversation had finally run out, especially since Edward could not share the secrets of his world. The rather large Weasley backyard had quickly shown its limits and the young man had quickly made the rounds. Soon, Edward had begun to get bored and when the young alchemist was bored, he tended to make decisions that were sometimes debatable and mostly reckless.

That's why, at the dawn of the third day spent in the Weasley's mansion, Edward had headed for the property's boundaries and had begun to focus on the magic surrounding the estate. The young blond wizard could now see magical threads intertwined forming an impenetrable barrier for anyone wishing to enter, taking the form of a huge dome protecting the house from land or air attacks. But Edward had often seen how wizards sometimes lacked practical sense: they had thought of the first two types of attack, but had they thought about the underground intrusions? After all, the alchemist was well placed to know that people were focusing on what they could see and not on the basement,

Making sure no one was watching him, Edward circled his arms and began digging the ground with his alchemy cautiously. It turned out that the magic barrier was sinking a few meters into the ground, which showed that precautions had been taken but it was much less dense than above the ground. So it was possible and even easy for Edward to create a tunnel under the ground to be able to leave the property without being seen ... The boy does not think any longer before starting his earthwork with infinite caution: the hole dug should not be too big to avoid touching the magic barrier and alert the whole household but it also had to allow him to pass ... Fortunately, he wasn't too-

Edward tried to forget that infamous moment when he almost admitted that he could be a little below average and concentrated on his task. As he progressed, he created elaborate alchemical traps to make sure he was the only person who could pass through here. Not even a rat could pass without being caught, which was precisely the goal because the young wizard had heard about Animagi. Finally, he emerged on the surface, on the other side of the Burrow's boundaries. He thoroughly inhaled the fresh air of the countryside with a cheerful look, rediscovering the smells of his childhood. Then, after taking a look around to make sure he was not spied on, he hid the entrance to his secret passageway with thick branches and moved a leafy bush of aromatic plants to hide his odour.

After taking these safety measures, Edward began to explore the surrounding area and eventually arrived at a junction: a small road in poor condition led to a forest while another went to a village ten kilometers away. name Ottery St. Catchpole from the signpost. For now, Edward was much more interested in civilization than in the forest, so he made his way to the small town with a sturdy step. It did not take more than an hour to arrive on the scene and he examined the place quickly to find his bearings.

The village was not as small as it had thought at first: it was big enough to house several small shops, a town hall with a post office, a primary school and a small library. It was naturally towards this last building that Edward walked: the books were not very numerous and not of a very great intellectual level but it was nevertheless enough to calm the thirst for knowledge of the teen, who could also stand to discover more on the muggle world and its inhabitants who, whatever the wizards say, were still in the majority in this universe.

* * *

Over the following days, the young alchemist spent most of his mornings or afternoons in the village: unlike the others, he wasn't tempted by Quidditch and hated the idea of traveling anywhere by broom. He was therefore not requisitioned to play in the Weasley garden as a teammate. Instead, the boy passed through his secret passage and took refuge in the public library to read. The encyclopaedias were an interesting source of knowledge but above all, the displaced Amestrian discovered the unsuspected potential of certain instruments such as computers that had spread in this world. He wondered if one day his world would discover this kind of innovation or if the alchemists would find something to replace this invention ...

No one noticed his absence as long as he was on time at meals and he regularly showed up at the Burrow. His friends sometimes asked him questions, but Edward told them vaguely that he was out working, which was not a lie in itself. Sometimes the young Ravenclaw felt a bit guilty about the risks he was taking when he went outside when it was forbidden, but he managed to get rid of his remorse without much difficulty: after all, he was extremely cautious, he continued to take precautions. and made sure there were no strangers in the area watching the Burrow. In fact, it could even be said that he helped the Order remain incognito by ensuring that no intruder could even approach!

After two weeks at the Burrow, during which he had read most of the town's library, Edward began to get bored again: Harry's birthday had been in a rather dark climate because during the celebration they had learned about the death or disappearance of well-known and even beloved people within the witch community. Two of the disappearances had been in the middle of Traverse Road, which showed how much the Death Eaters were no longer afraid of being out in the open and that they were starting larger actions. The dead man was the Headmaster of a school of magic that had been a former Death Eater who had betrayed his family and had fled his punishment, unfortunately for him, it had finally caught up with him.

* * *

The next day Edward received his list of Hogwarts supplies, which he scanned with a rather distracted eye. He also paid little attention to the fact that one of his friends was named Quidditch captain, even though he was happy for him. On the other hand, Edward was much more excited by the prospect of exploring the surrounding forest and perhaps even attempting some alchemical experiments to check if his theories were working. That's why, in the early afternoon, Edward, after passing through his secret tunnel, this time he took the direction of the woods and began his walk rather perky. He still had fondness for the country landscapes that reminded him of Resembool, and embraced some of his nostalgia.

The forest was much more peaceful than the one around Hogwarts: unlike the latter, it was populated with no magical creatures, only wild animals that Edward recognized without difficulty and could observe without much difficulty. Hearing a stream, the boy ends up being drawn near a very calm clearing and hidden deep in the woods: no one would disturb him here, which meant that he could practice his alchemy without witnesses bothersome. The alchemist began by opening his notebook and he classified his hypotheses in the order in which he wanted to test them: the alchemy of Xing was obviously in the first place and without further delay, the genius began his experiments.

He first had to find a line of telluric energy, which represented no difficulty. The Burrow had been built on one of these energy lines and Edward had only to follow it to the forest, as it passed through this clearing. The young scientist suspected that a large number of witch dwellings were located near these lines of telluric energies and he would not have been surprised either that the greatest establishments of the magic world are at the intersection of these energy lines. After all, the wizards thought they were using the magic of the telluric currents, so it made sense that they chose to build their homes near where they were the strongest. And on the one hand, even though the wizarding population used the energy of the Gate of this world for the most part with their wands to produce their spells, it was also true that they were able to use part of the tectonic energy and the energy of their souls. Edward had concluded from his latest research that when wizards did that, they did either what they called wandless magic or accidental magic.

Magic had begun to fascinate Edward just as much as alchemy: it was far less irrational than he had thought at first, and explaining it was one of his greatest pleasures. It obeyed precise laws, though different from those of alchemy, and the young scientist liked to construct theories on the subject, especially when they complemented his hypotheses on alchemy. He had even started writing some of them in a separate notebook but in English so that they would be understandable by the wizards. Of course, Edward was careful never to mention alchemy in this specific research to keep his promise to the Truth- but at the same time he wanted to help advance research in this world. Maybe he could arrange with Luna for her father to publish his research in _The Quibbler_...

But in the meantime, the most urgent thing for Edward was to learn how to use alchemy in Xing's way. He wanted at all costs to show May Chang that he too was able to do the same thing she did and he refused to admit that he could be less strong in a field than this girl who dared to call him short! It was perhaps petty on his part and probably a bit childish but Edward was not known for the ease of his character and he was determined to prove to this girl that he too knew how to use this foreign alchemy. On top of that, Xing's alchemy had been created largely by his father, and although Edward had long resented Hohenheim, he had to admit he was a genius in alchemy.

The young alchemist began to draw the line representing the energy current of the Dragon's Pulse and he tried to throw freshly transmuted Kunais onto this line so that they formed a circle approximately correct on it. After more than two hours of training, the boy was still no more advanced: indeed, in the field of throwing precision, Edward Elric was not good at all, in fact, one could even say that he had no precision. The precise aim had always been something that he had been criticized for in alchemy as well as magic and in this area, it seemed that Edward was not progressing, having always been more used to fighting in hand-to-hand combat than by means of throwing or shooting weapons...

After several hours of intensive training that only resulted in frustrating him more and more, Edward finally gave up throwing his knives and collapsed into the green grass grunting. This time, it was sure, he would never be able to equal the little Xingese girl in his discipline and it annoyed him more than anything. He sighed and stared up at the cloudy sky above him while mumbling swear words in his native tongue as he ruminated over his failure.

"Are you trying to attract Crumple-Horned Snorkacks by speaking that language or are you trying to get the Nargles away?"

Edward straightened up at that well-known voice and stared at Luna, who was gazing at him with his usual dreamy smile.

"Luna, what are you doing here?" asked the young alchemist before realizing that his question was bordering on rudeness, although the young Ravenclaw did not seem to mind.

"I was walking around when I heard strange noises: I thought they were grunts of Crumple-Horned Snorkacks although they growl like that only when they are in the moulting period or they don't get what they want but in fact it was you."

"Do you often walk around here?" Edward asked, raising an eyebrow as he tried, unsuccessfully, to decipher what Luna had meant.

"I live on the other side of the forest but you do not live here, should not it be my place to ask you questions?" Luna asked, tilting her head to one side.

"Oops, sorry, the Weasleys actually house me during the holidays but I was tired of being locked up at home so I sometimes leave without them knowing to go for walks, otherwise I would go crazy."

"That sounds like you, you were always like that at Hogwarts." said Luna.

"Except that in the Forbidden Forest, it was to go fight..." corrected the Amestrian.

"I feel like you're fighting all the time," the young Ravenclaw remarked enigmatically: "You fight against the evil creatures, against those who believe that devouring life will allow them to live despite everything, against those who want to dictate to you your conduct and those who claim to judge you, but above all, you fight against yourself. "

"To fight against myself?" Edward asked, a little taken aback.

"You confront your thoughts and ideas very much with those of others and often question them, but at the same time, you categorically refuse to change the values you believe in. You also fight against your own limits, constantly seeking to push them away, you should learn to rest sometimes."

"And you, what are you doing to rest?" Edward asked, raising an eyebrow at this tip.

"Well ... during the whole month of July, my father and I went to Norway and we tried to find Crumple-Horned Snorkacks. It was very relaxing because to attract them, you have to stay still, lying on your back. without doing anything except looking at the clouds to glimpse them."

"Yes, it must be nice." the teen smiled.

"Yes, but I think you do not like much rest so I think it's better to find the answer to what torments you ... So what's the matter?" Luna asked.

"It's just that I feel like I can not do anything!" Ed sighed, glaring at his kunais as if they had personally insulted him.

"When you feel like you're not going anywhere or lost, to find where you want to go, sometimes you just have to take a roundabout way." The girl pointed out, fiddling with her necklace of butterbeer bottle caps.

"Yes, but it's more complicated, I can not get those things right, and yet I've been training for hours!"

"Sometimes when you find yourself in front of a river to cross and you can not swim, you just have to build a bridge, but after that, there are lots of ways to build this one: it can be beautiful and majestic but sometimes a simple wooden bridge will suffice... Basically, it doesn't matter, the main thing is that you have managed to cross the torrent. You must not persist in trying something that you can not do- without that will you drown. "

"You're right, I did not think about it, thank you, Luna!" Edward said with a smile as he began to glimpse the solution to his problem.

"You're welcome, Edward, I hope we'll see each other again, I often walk around here so if you continue your walks, chances are we'll meet again.

And, as she hummed, the girl started with a step as light as that of a fairy, dancing strangely under the foliage according to steps and a music known to her alone. Edward looked at her thoughtfully, before shaking his head and laughing heartily as he thought about the strange conversation he had had with his Ravenclaw companion: Luna was decidedly chic to find the good answers while delivering them to his interlocutors in the form of strange parables... One had to be patient enough to know how to decrypt them but by dint of knowing it, you ended up knowing how to interpret the sibylline words of the girl.

The advice that Luna had just given him was indeed precious: it was no use to Edward to stubbornly attempt to throw the kunais correctly, since he was not obviously talented. On the other hand, he could try to find another way to achieve remote alchemy that escaped him. For the moment, it was better to start with small things, like learning alkahestry instead of trying to imitate May Chang who obviously had had to train for years to master this way to transmute. He had first to confine himself to what he could do instead of trying at all costs to imitate his little rival.

Pride had again misled him: wanting at all costs to match the Xingese, he had locked himself alone in his obstinacy without trying to find the solution by himself to the problem of alchemy at a distance. Now he knew he had to think and invent the solution to his problem by himself. Clearly, he had returned to the starting point except that now he was persuaded to do it! It only remained for him to try until he found the right solution!

The boy engraved a transmutation circle before moving away from a few steps and engraving exactly the same, still on the telluric current line. Then, concentrating, he tried to send the energy to the transmutation circle furthest away from him, but it was the one he had activated that metamorphosed into a statue. Result? A boring failure...

The young alchemist's stomach gurgled, telling him it was time to return to the Burrow: perhaps he had to follow Luna's other advice? To rest and reflect could only do him good at the point where he was...


	5. Chapter 5

Whoops, thought I posted this. I've been trying to go for every other Friday.

* * *

Original Author's Note: To answer Matsuyama's question, Edward can not use magic simply because he is not fast enough (at least to his liking). For him to cast the spell, he must first know what physical or chemical theories imply, then, while casting the spell, focus on all his knowledge so that the spell works while focusing on his wand for it absorbs the overflow of the spell to avoid overloading it and finally the spell is cast. That's why Ed will always be slower than a seasoned duelist like Harry in a duel, but he can compensate by ambushing or hiding.

Otherwise, yes, some people will wonder where Edward spends his days, but the young people are too interested and busy with Quidditch. They know that Ed is rather lonely so they believe it in his room or in a corner of the garden, away. But you will have more answers in this chapter... ;-)

Also, Ed was 16 years old at the end of the story but meanwhile, water has flowed under the bridge and since another birthday has passed in one of the chapters of volume 1. So, he is now 17 years old and is therefore of age: he can now Apparate and drink to his heart's content. (Note, alcohol abuse is bad for your health, consume with moderation).

* * *

Edward had continued his incursions into the forest around the Burrow for the most part to train. He experimented on each of his outings a new form of alchemy to finally master this alchemy that for the moment was stubborn to deny him. But the young alchemist was a thousand times stubborn and when he was determined to achieve something, nothing could get in his way. Nevertheless, for once, Edward would have liked to benefit, like his little brother, from some lessons from May Chang (even if she had insulted him) to avoid the many mistakes he had made during the last days.

Half the time, he spent his time constructing theories by writing like crazy in his notebook in which there were fewer and fewer blank pages, which reminded Edward that he would have to either use the alchemy to add new pages (and thus give it the size of one of Hermione's books), or buy a new one on the excursion to Diagon Alley planned in two days. Edward leant instead for the second solution... The other half of his time, Edward devoted to training with his alchemy after carefully ensuring that no one was watching him. The results were rather variable and generally too unsatisfactory according to Edward's point of view. But eventually, he began to get some success from time to time, but far too uneven to satisfy the young scientist who felt that an alchemical theory had to work permanently and not from time to time.

But today, he felt like he had taken a big step forward because he finally understood what was disturbing his Xingese-style alchemy: the energy currents of the Gate of this universe tended to deflect his alchemical attempts, which explained his lack of precision which was worse than usual... On the one hand, it would mean that as long as he remained in this world, training in Xingese alchemy would be much more complicated but on the other hand, when he returned to his world (assuming that he didn't kick the bucket in this one...), he could try his experiments again on this eastern alchemy without fear of interference. With a little luck, there would be more success there than here ...

In the meantime, it also meant that training would not significantly improve his remote alchemy and so he could take a break in this discipline. The young alchemist was a little disappointed not to be able to continue his experiments but even he had to admit his defeat in the matter. But at least his failure was only a postponement: once back home, he would try to resume his training intensively with his brother, it promised nice hours of work together!

* * *

Lying under a tree in the clearing where he had spent his time searching for a way to make the Xingese alchemy work, Edward was content, for once, to listen to the songs of birds and the different sounds of nature. Usually, it was really not his style to stay quietly in place but it became obvious to him that for the moment he had nothing better to do. He had already written down his latest findings and it was still too early to return to the Burrow where his friends still had to be immersed in their friendly Quidditch match. He was not in a hurry to return.

"Hello, Edward."

The young boy opened his eyelids and found himself face to face with Luna's dreamy face on which appeared a sweet and curious look. He had not seen her since their first meeting in the woods and the inter-world traveler was delighted to see his Ravenclaw friend again. Smiling, the young man replied:

"Hi, Luna, how are you? As you can see, I'm taking your advice..."

"I'm fine and I can see you're trying my advice: there's a lot less Nargles around you."

"Um... thanks, I guess." Edward said, still a little puzzled when she mentioned these strange magical beasties.

"Do you want to come and have tea at my home?" Luna asked, tilting her head to one side, "my father would love to meet you, Edward. I'm sure he'll love you!"

"Why not?" Edward said, stretching himself and longing for a cup of tea in good company.

Then he got up and followed the young Ravenclaw who jumped between the roots, humming a strange tune while her friend tried to follow her as best he could. They crossed thick shady groves to finally arrive near a deep stream that ran between flat stones on which the girl was having fun jumping from one to another. Edward, amused by what he saw as one of his friend's many rituals, tried to imitate her as best he could.

It was not easy when you had automail instead of a leg and the boy finished more splashed than the girl, who burst out laughing in a childish way. Her amusement peaked when a spherical fish leaped from the water just in front of the alchemist, who squeaked in a very manly fashion until Luna explained that it was a bulu, a creature magic considered harmful by the ignorant.

Edward was not yet fully accustomed to the wonders and strangeness of the magical world and he could still be totally surprised by what was considered normal by other wizards. It was also because of this that he did not know what magical creatures were real or came from Luna's immense imagination and, to tell the truth, it did not matter much to him.

Finally, the duo came out of the forest and arrived in sight of a fairly high hill at the top of which was a kind of dark tower high enough to stand out in the landscape of greenery. The place breathed the weird and the incongruous, but the Muggles weren't aware of the location of this house because otherwise the young Amestrian was certain they would probably have demanded that the house respected the rules of the local English subdivision more closely. Edward, on the other hand, found this tower rather nice and was quite happy to see that others shared his artistic tastes... The boy began to accelerate to stay with Luna who had started to run towards the house she, which she entered without hesitation.

The young alchemist, meanwhile, slowed down a bit as he arrived within view of a strange man perched on the bars of a ladder, trying to pick fruits in the shape of orange radishes which seemed float in the air. The wizard had gray hair that seemed to be going all over the place, a wizard's robe even more eccentric than Dumbledore's and, like his daughter, he had an aura of sweet madness floating around him. On seeing Ed, he slowly descended from his ladder and then pointed his wand at Edward, who took a step back when he saw it while raising his hands to show that he was unarmed. It was in theory, of course, since it was enough for the young alchemist to join his hands to send off any of his opponents.

"Dad, I'll introduce you to Edward, he's one of my first friends and I invited him to tea at home because that's what friends do, right?"

"I did not know you were a friend of my daughter," said the wizard before lowering his wand, "I feared it was a Death Eater, you never know in these times. But if you are a friend of Luna, then it's perfect! Come in! Come in!"

Edward followed the strange family inside the tower and looked at the kitchen with curiosity: it was round in shape, with a spiral staircase in the middle while the walls and ceiling were decorated with multicolored birds and insects that the young boy could not identify and that had to be the many creatures out of the imagination of his friend. The room had a rather merry atmosphere with its decorations and as usual whenever Edward entered a wizard's home, he could not help but be amazed by the wide variety between the houses. .

Luna cheerfully invited her friend to sit at the table before bringing a small tray on which was tea, milk, toast, scones, a jar of jam- not to mention the cups and spoons. Edward could not help but notice that his friend seemed to be doing her best to imitate normal people when they were serving tea, but she could not quite judge by the way tea was being made. The mistress of the house herself was serving tea singing, her eyes fixed on the ceiling and, as a result, spilling a portion of the beverage on the tray. Still, Edward really enjoyed the invitation and soon, when everyone was served, a conversation started to take place.

Mr. Lovegood was a very open man who liked to discuss all sorts of varied subjects; he believed in many things, ranging from fairy tales to conspiracy theories that the government was trying to keep itself in place by every possible means. Luna seemed to encourage her father's opinions by agreeing with everything he said without hesitation. Edward, on the other hand, though a very rational person, managed to fit into the discussion by exposing some of his less common beliefs about magic, which earned him the enthusiasm of Mr. Lovegood, who saw him as a open and enlightened mind and congratulated him warmly. They had even begun to discuss some theories linking the stories of the centaurs and the assumptions of theories about magic's origins.

The tea party was a most pleasant and warm moment. Of course, the tea had a very strange appearance and taste still unknown in the palate of the young Amnestrien, the scones sometimes rolled themselves to go into the filled cups and the plum jam had a tendency to provoke a state of weightlessness in those who consumed it. But aside from these slight details, it was one of the best moments Edward had spent in recent days.

* * *

At the end of two hours, however, he noticed the passing of time and thought it was time for him to return if he wanted to be back before the evening meal at the Burrow. He took a hearty farewell to Luna and her father, both of whom insisted on offering him a necklace of dirigible plums. The intention was really nice although the pendant was really strange. Edward left the strange dark tower before turning back the way from which he had come. He went down the hill to return to the woods. The cold wind blew violently on the deserted moor, as clouds piled up on the horizon, a sign of a coming storm, telling him it was in his interest to hurry home.

Unfortunately, the boy had not really improved his sense of direction and today was the first time he ventured into this part of the forest. Mumbling imprecations in Amestrian, Edward thought he might have had to accept Luna's offer to take him back- at least to the clearing- because for the moment, it seemed obvious that he was still getting lost more than usual.

Luckily, the boy finally spotted the stream he had seen on the way out and that was good news. The forest had become completely dark and the cries of the birds were getting louder and louder as the storm approached and thundered. Large icy drops began to fall on the ground and the wind redoubled in rage. Realizing that if he did not want to be completely soaked, he had every interest in speeding up, Edward started to run on the path that was getting more and more muddy while the rain formed a curtain hard to pierce.

Finally, what was about to happen happened and Edward slipped into a muddy puddle and fell into the stream he was skirting as fast as possible. With the storm, the harmless little tributary had become even deeper and the teen had swallowed a large gulp before he could get his head out of the water. Driven by the current and the weight of his automail, he could not swim to the slippery banks to climb out safely. The storm was still rumbling as loudly and the only light came from the lightning of the storm. He could not even call for help: the thunder would cover the least of his cries and if he opened his mouth he could swallow water and choke. The blond was really beginning to fear that he could drown stupidly in a world far from home, alone, without having returned to his friends from Amestris.

But luck finally smiled at him and the little stream finally ended up in a pond in a small clearing. The roots of the trees along the bank were strong enough to hold on and secure on the mainland. Trembling with cold after his forced swimming, the boy began by lighting a fire with his alchemy to see more clearly: with the latter, it was easy for the young alchemist to evaporate. water from the wood to make it drier and able to flare up without too much difficulty. Then the young Amnestrian clapped his hands again to evaporate the water that soaked his automail praying with all his might that it hadn't been too damaged after his stay in the water.

Luckily, the automail seemed to respond perfectly, although the joints were painful because of the rain, which meant everything was normal and the boy was deeply relieved. Now that the most urgent had passed, Edward could begin to think about getting some comfort: using his alchemy again, he created a small temporary shelter and dried his clothes while waiting for the end of the storm. According to his observations, the latter would probably soon move away from his location and there, he could begin to try to find his way back. Looking at his watch, he grunted when he calculated that he would probably not have returned in time for the meal, which meant that the members of the Order would realize that he was able to leave the Burrow as he pleased. He was practically certain that he would be entitled to a sermon on his return, which did not improve the miserable mood of the alchemist.

Seeing that the rain was starting to weaken, Edward grabbed a flaming stick to go look around the clearing and find where he had to go to return to the Burrow. He did not know this place at all and it was going to be really difficult for him to come back because he would have to be much more cautious when he ran along the stream again so that he did not start his forced swim again.

* * *

The setting sun was beginning to appear through the branches of the bushy forest, though it was still raining lightly and Edward could see more clearly where he was: a small clearing with magical wild flowers and normal colors varied. In the middle was the small pond covered with water lilies and duckweed, bordered by weeping willows and other gnarled trees. An enchanting corner but that seemed curiously maintained for a corner meant to be wild. Turning around, Edward quickly understood the reason.

Two white steles planted in the ground indicated the location of what was to be two graves. Respectfully, Edward approached them and knelt before them to observe them better: the marble slabs were relatively new and should not be more than ten years old, bouquets and crowns of flowers and plants were placed in front of them, proving that they were visited regularly. One of the white stones was much larger than the other and was engraved with inscriptions while on the other there was nothing. On the funeral stele, the name inscribed was not unknown to him: Selene Lovegood, followed by dates of birth and death. The latter went back to 1990, which meant that Luna had probably lost her mother when she was nine years old.

The other tomb was intriguing: its small size suggested that a child was buried here and yet there was no name, no name, nothing, except that little white stone, which reminded that a loved one had existed and lived in this world. It was really strange and Edward had always been attracted to the mysteries, although this one must have been particularly painful since it was the death of a child. It was not his role to try to reveal such a secret.

"Good evening, Edward."

Edward turned abruptly at the voice of Luna, who had just surprised him in what was to be his secret garden, the funeral wreaths of flowers woven with metallic caps of butterbeer proved it amply. The girl held a multicolored umbrella open and stood straight as an i, at the entrance to the clearing. She must have noticed her embarrassed look because she reassured him of his usual dreamer:

"Do not worry, Edward, you can come here, if you want to, that's where Mom is buried."

The boy said nothing and just looked at her compassionately, knowing what it was like to lose his mother when we were so young.

"I was nine years old and I was in her lab as she was trying an experiment, she was looking for something, but I never knew exactly what, she just told me that when she was successful, everything would be fine. The experiment went awry and she died in front of me. I don't really remember what happened at that moment but I still remember her as she lay on the floor. It was like she was sleeping, but I knew she was dead. I stayed there for hours watching her and then Dad came in and he saw what happened. He who's buried Mom here and after that he was the one who took care of me."

The girl spoke in a strange, almost ghostly voice, as if she were no longer there in the clearing, but in the room where the experience had taken place, which had taken her mother away. It was disturbing to see her staring at him like that with her big pale gray eyes and talking to him with her voice from beyond the grave. It was not the sweet, dreamy and eccentric Luna he knew but the Luna painfully wounded by the loss of a loved one. Desiring at all costs to distance this moment from the thoughts of his friend, the boy approached her and held her tightly in his arms, as he did with Alphonse after the death of his mother, trying to comfort her with her. better.

"I'm sorry if I embarrassed you with my words, I noticed that I often make others feel uncomfortable." Luna said, smiling again with her usual look. "But I noticed that you too were hearing them, the voices behind the Veil in the Mystery Department and so you could understand."

"Yes I understand." Edward muttered frankly.

"I'm going to accompany you, if you wish, since you do not know the way..." said the young Ravenclaw as she returned up the pathway, immediately followed by Edward.

The roads were still muddy but Luna seemed to know them by heart and it did not take more than half an hour to reach the clearing where they had met. She was kind enough to accompany him to the Burrow. Edward was becoming more and more nervous as they approached the house: dinner time was well past and everyone had to be madly worried about his passing. The boy expected that his return would not be welcomed. Nevertheless, Luna did not seem to care because she rang the bell without hesitation. The worried voice of Mrs. Weasley asked:

"Who is here ?"

"It's Luna Lovegood, Mrs. Weasley, I'm bringing Edward back."

Expressions of relief rang out and Mrs. Weasley seemed about to open the door to greet the lost boy when Moody's roaring voice sounded, arresting everyone.

"How can we know if it's them? If they are disguised Death Eaters, then..."

"You must have a strong presence of Nargles around you, Professor Moody, so I recommend you take some dirigible plum jam with you."

"It's Luna all right!" Ginny exclaimed with a chuckle.

"And for little Edward, it's easy..." Harry started.

"Arghhhh! Who are you calling a tiny little shorter than an inch infant?! I'll stick you one I promise, Potter!"

"That's Edward!" the youngest inhabitants of the Burrow exclaimed, undoubtedly displaying big mocking smiles.

The door opened suddenly and Edward was brutally drawn into the house as Luna quietly followed him. The young boy did not have the time to understand that already he was receiving a slap administered by the vigorous hand of Professor Moody. Edward was so surprised that he did not even think of replying and just stood there, stunned.

"Do you realize the state of worry in which you put everyone in this house?" Moody growled furiously before continuing: "Nobody knew where you had been since lunchtime and we started to believe that you had been kidnapped by Death Eaters! What is wrong with your head to wander as if there was no war outside these walls?"

"I could not stand to stay here anymore!" Edward exclaimed angrily. "I can fend for myself! I know how to fight, you know it and if I stay locked up here, I'll go crazy!"

"Tie you, maybe that's what we'll have to do if you continue your excursions, I know it was certainly not the first time, I've discovered your little passage. The traps were vicious, but what you do not seem to understand is that we are adults and we are responsible for measures you hate are there for a good reason, to protect you So, now, you're going to make me the solemn promise to stay here, safe!"

Edward mumbled something that seemed rather insulting. But Moody's ear was fine because he repeated screaming;

"I SAID, DO YOU SWEAR?!"

"Yes sir." Edward finally answers after a long minute of meeting the strange and dissymmetrical eyes of the old auror. He had the impression of having to face Sergeants Ross and Brosch again after he snuck in with Alphonse in the N°5 laboratory. This sermon was at least as severe, as strong and deserved as the previous one, and Edward knew deep down that he was wrong. Nevertheless, he did not want to endure the stern or disappointed looks of the kitchen occupants, so he concentrated on his soup without daring to meet the eyes of others while concealing shame on his face. He absently listened to Mrs. Weasley propose to Luna to send a message by patronus to her father to tell him that she would stay here tonight, even asking if she wanted to spend two days at the Burrow and go shopping with them. The young Ravenclaw agreed happily, and Mrs. Weasley's patronus came out of her wand and headed for the Lovegood's Tower.

Edward did not say a word all night and went to bed without saying anything more. Harry and Ron found him lying down and pretending to sleep. They did not bother him.

* * *

The next morning, Harry had stood up and watched Edward do his morning exercises running like mad in the garden and sparring with martial arts movements with an ease that made the boy rather envious considering his obvious ability. From what the Boy-Who-Lived could see, Edward seemed to be trying to evacuate the over-energy in him and in the end, Harry understood why his friend had sought to escape the Burrow to go for a walk: neither could he. He did not like being locked up, but he could stand it better, obviously, than Edward, who seemed to love walking around freely wherever he pleased. At least Harry could play Quidditch with Ron, Ginny, and Hermione to change his mind, but his friend hated this sport that was played on brooms... In addition, Edward had a taste for loneliness and secrets, and Harry was almost certain that the Ravenclaw was not just walking in the forest but experimenting with his strange magic.

Hermione had not found anything conclusive about how Edward had created a door inside Hogwarts and that had frustrated her enormously. This mystery was the secret of the Golden Trio that had not occurred to anyone else, including members of the Order. The only thing she knew was that this kind of thing was theoretically impossible at Hogwarts except for the school's legitimate Headmaster, an infallible rule like the one forbidding Apparition within the confines of the castle. Ron had pointed out to him that the house elves were doing it as well. Instead of flabbergasting against the redhead, Hermione frowned and nibbled at her lips, a sign that she was thinking. Then she hypothesized that their friend might well have some way of using magic that is different from ordinary wizards, which could explain the rules he was breaking.

This hypothesis had intrigued the group, but none of them had dared to ask Edward for confirmation of their theory, not wanting to risk ruining their friendship with the boy. While waiting for Edward to reveal a little more about himself, Harry continued to collect clues showing the strangeness of their friend without ever revealing them. He did not want to break his friendship with the boy with whom he got along very well.

Hearing the noise behind him, he turned around and saw Ron and Hermione enter the room and watch Edward's training with him. Ron seemed rather impressed and kept making glowing comments about him, Hermione looked worried and then some sadness appeared on her face as she murmured:

"Ed needs to find a hobby."

"That's not what he's doing right now?" Ron asked, looking slightly misplaced.

"I'm talking about an intellectual hobby, Ron." The girl replied curtly, saying: "A project, something that might interest him but that he could do here, maybe with us... Last year, we had the Support Courses and that occupied him, but this year we can only hope to have a competent teacher..."

"So, he will not know what to do and risk doing something dangerous, that's what you mean, Hermione?" Harry said.

"That's it... I do not want him to put a distance between us, like that... Already, we hardly realized that he disappeared every day to walk around... We weren't paying enough attention to him."

Hermione seemed to notice that Harry was deep in thought and, curiously, she asked him:

"What are you thinking about Harry?"

"I'm thinking about those who preceded us at Hogwarts... Dumbledore, Voldemort, the Marauders and even Edward... what were they doing when they were at Hogwarts?" Harry asked with a concentrated air.

"Uh ... Ms. Marchbank, the OWL Examiner, said that Dumbledore was doing things with his wand that she had never seen before, Riddle created the diary that possessed Ginny, your father and his friends had become Animagus to help Remus, and Edwar ... He skipped four classes and passed his OWLs at the same time as us.: listed Hermione without understanding.

"When they were the same age as us, they were capable of great magical feats, I'm going to have to beat Voldemort, and I have every interest in being prepared and you too!"

"I still point out that you're able to form a corporeal Patronus, and better yet, you've taught it to a whole class when you were 13. You learned a lot of defense spells in fourth year and in fifth year you learned Occlumency! " Hermione reminded him even though a gleam shone in her eyes like a Christmas tree.

"Yeah, that's good already, and I bet Dumbledore will teach you lots of things during his private lessons!" Exclaims Ron.

"Maybe ... but he never said what he was going to teach me." Harry pointed out, his eyes fixed on the horizon. "I'm sure we can learn some useful magic for our quest to defeat Voldemort!"

"But it's the years of NEWT preparation," Ron groans, adding, "we'll never have time!"

"Of course yes!" Hermione exclaimed, tears in her eyes as if she had just seen a miracle happen before her eyes: "Harry, I'm so proud of you! I knew from the start that you had this in you: the desire to go beyond mediocrity! "

"Wait, are you saying we're mediocre?" Ron inserted himself.

"I do not know about you, Ronald, but Harry has already shown us what he can do when he is well motivated like with the Dementors, the Goblet, Voldemort or Umbridge. I think we can do it. The work we are going to do this year and next is not the most important exams but the fight against Voldemort!" exclaimed the young Gryffindor in a passionate tirade.

"Am I dreaming, or did Hermione just say that exams are not the most important?" interrupted a snarky voice behind them.

Edward stood at the entrance of the room and watched them with a mocking and intrigued air. Luna and Ginny were behind him: the last of the Weasleys looked at them suspiciously and Luna had the usual dreamy look on her face.

"Go back to your room, Ginny, we're talking serious business!" Ron asked in a voice he hoped would be authoritative. It was not very effective.

"Because accompanying you to the Ministry was not a serious matter, maybe I will not go back to my room, Ronald Bilius Weasley, I want to know what you're talking about!"

"It's none of your business, it's big business!" Retorted his big brother.

"Do you think V-Voldemort will make a difference if we're fifteen or sixteen?" Ginny said, insisting on the accursed name. "I challenge you to keep Luna and I from knowing what you're up to!"

"You do not even know what we're talking about!" replied the younger brother Weasley.

"You were talking about fighting Voldemort, weren't you?" Luna asked dreamily, twisting one of her locks around her index finger.

"In this case, I am!" declared Edward Elric with a burning fire in his eyes.

"I would propose to include in our project those who accompanied us to the Ministry, but it is not for me to decide." Hermione suggested in a tempered tone to calm the fraternal dispute. Then she turned to Harry and asked him:

"You're the leader, Harry, what do you decide?"

Harry pulled a galleon out of his pocket. It was the famous fake Galleon that had served at the symbol of the Support Course. Hermione seemed to understand his intention because she asked, a little intrigued:

"All the people in SC?"

"No. All those who continued to have this galleon in their pocket, ready to answer our call even when Umbridge sounded the end of our lessons in the defense room. Hermione, can you change the galleon so as to ask that those who received the message sent a letter by owl? The principle is that only those who have kept their piece will receive the message. "

"There should not be many people," said Luna absently. "Virtually all of the participants threw away their fake piece when Umbridge uncovered us to avoid having any evidence against them... Mine, it's in my pendant around my neck."

"In this case, we will be a reduced number... Activate the coin, Hermione!"

"I'm going to do it in the kitchen, the Trace will find it harder to discern if there are other magical people around me, but actually, Harry, what do you expect us to learn first?"

"The inheritance of my father and Sirius: we will become Animagi!"

* * *

Translator's note: The part where the narration mentions kicking the bucket comes from an expression in French about 'leaving one's skin'.


	6. Chapter 6

Saturday arrived quickly and everyone was eager to go to Diagon Alley... except for the adults who would have preferred the children to stay safe at the Burrow. Harry, meanwhile, felt that members of the Order of the Phoenix would be even less accommodating to escort them if they were aware of the conspiratorial atmosphere that prevailed on the upper floors of the Weasley home. Since he had explained his project, the youngest occupants of the house tried to avoid stirring up the suspicions of the elders by offering their help, avoiding the words that could cause worry for Mrs. Weasley. It might have seemed suspicious, but all the members of the Order seemed to think that this good behavior on their part was due to the fact that the teens wanted to be able to visit the twins' shop while they were at Diagon Alley.

Regarding their number, they were not very numerous. The six plotters of the Burrow had been reached by correspondence only by one person who had become the seventh member of the band, Neville Longbottom. The latter had answered them by owl and in his letter, he proudly affirmed his determination to help Harry and his friends. His courage had increased since the attack at the Ministry and he had become much more confident. Moreover, he had managed to negotiate with his grandmother to visit Diagon Alley along with them, which would allow them to discuss their secret project together.

Secretly, it suited Harry perfectly: the seven members of the Ministry's infiltration would be the only ones to be part of the secret training he planned. As he had announced, he intended to start by becoming an animagus like his father and his godfather and so the others would do the same. But for that, they needed equipment and especially the essential books to be able to know how to succeed in such a feat. However, none of them had the kind of reading of the type "How To Become An Animagus In Ten Easy Lessons". Their project seemed to be about to fail before it even started. But by chance, today, they would go to Diagon Alley and at Flourish and Blott perhaps they could find the necessary works for the practice of Animagi. However, the members of the Order seemed to do everything to put a stick into the wheels of the small group.

Indeed, it would have been too good if they were allowed to roam at will in Diagon Alley, free as the breeze, to buy books on magics controlled by the Ministry. Worse still, aurors were going to follow them everywhere and the six young wizards had grunted at the edge of desperation when they learned that they would be watched like young children. They had boarded the Ministry cars, struggling to hide their annoyance, despite the fact that most of them were leaving the Burrow for the first time in a month. The trip was surprisingly brief and soon they went down to the Leaky Cauldron. There, they saw that, to their great joy, it would be Hagrid who would be their bodyguard.

Harry loved Hagrid and he was really happy to find him like the good old days. Nevertheless, what delighted him the most was the greatest defect of Hagrid: he was easy to deceive. He was practically certain that thanks to his cloak of invisibility, he could falsify company with the half-giant without much difficulty. But in the meantime, they had some shopping to do and it was necessary that the group separated. Initially, Hagrid was scheduled to take Harry, Ron, Edward and Hermione to Madam Malkin's shop while Mr. and Mrs. Weasley would take Ginny and Luna to Flourish and Blott. But following an unfortunate remark by Mrs. Weasley about Edward's height, which had not grown much during the year, his temper tantrum and a clever suggestion from Hermione who wondered aloud whether it would be better for Mrs. Weasley to help them with the robes, Mr. Weasley made a change in the groups: Harry, Ron and Hermione, accompanied by Mr. and Mrs. Weasley would go buy the wizard's robes while Hagrid would take their orders to Flourish and Blott by escorting the two Ravenclaws and Ginny.

* * *

Edward loved books. Returning to Flourish and Blott was a real pleasure for the young Ravenclaw who enjoyed nothing more than a good book. However, he was also there for a mission: to try to find a book on animagi. For that, it was necessary to distract Hagrid and this mission was left rightly to Ginny and Luna who placed themselves in the legs of Hagrid, asked him questions about the dragons or imaginary creatures to make diversions, they scattered to the four corners of the shop so that the half giant has trouble finding them despite his large size.

Meanwhile, Edward had reached the rarest magic section and was scanning the shelves. It took him several minutes to find a small section devoted to animagus. There, he cursed his bad luck: the shelving had a small sign on which he was marked:

The magic of these shelves are strictly controlled by the Ministry.

Anyone purchasing one of these books will be required to provide proof of their identity and their name will be recorded in a file in the Magic Abuses Service as possible.

Sale of these books is prohibited to anyone under the age of seventeen, anyone who has been sentenced to Azkaban, or anyone who is under investigation by the Ministry.

Realizing that he could not buy any of the books for their Animagus training, Edward decided to choose one of the smaller books to read as quickly as possible in order to have at least some information to report to others. When Hagrid finally found him, he almost had to drag him out of the shop as the young alchemist was fascinated by what he was reading. Luckily, Hagrid did not ask him why he was in that particular corner of the bookstore. They joined the Weasley parents as well as the Golden Trio. Mr. Weasley was furious and comforted his wife that Draco Malfoy's mother had apparently insulted. The trio was in no better mood, especially Harry who found that the arrogant behavior of his nemesis was annoying more than anything.

At the Apothecary, Edward and Harry bought their potion kit together, much to Ron's surprise as he still thought he would not have to go to Professor Snape's class because of the E in Potion. The two boys were careful not to tell him about their future potion teacher, deciding that a joke at his expense could not hurt him. They made him believe simply that they might need it for their project. After that, they made a tour at Eeyelops and bought boxes of special owl treats for their respective owls. Finally came the moment they were all waiting for: the visit to Fred and George's shop, a long-awaited visit, especially by Hermione who still had not managed to get rid of her magical black eye.

When they saw the colorful and sparkling shop and the poster for U-No-Poo, Edward and Harry burst out laughing, followed quickly by Ron who, despite his fears of the dark wizard, found the word play excellent. They obviously didn't share the same opinion as Mrs. Weasley who moaned that her sons were going to be murdered in their beds... The group finally entered the shop and marveled at the incredible inventions of the twins: Daydream Charms, Wonderous Wands, Skiving Snackboxes, sweets of all kinds, Muggle Magic... On the other hand, what amused Edward less, it was the little dolls with his likeness, similar to the one he had received for Christmas who repeated his most inventive replies when were said synonyms for "small". Apparently, sales of this product worked quite well. Unfortunately for Fred and George, Edward was ruthless and unimpressed by the joke and the twins had already met his revenge and sucker punch at the previous Christmas. They managed to negotiate a 30% sales share for this product that satisfied the young wizard enough.

Shortly after, the twins showed Harry and Edward their range of Defense Against the Dark Arts stuff, their best sellers. As the two boys were now part of their trading partners, the twins were quite willing to give them rebates or offer them some of the most ingenious products. Edward made a big order, taking advantage of promotions and buying the Shield cloaks, thinking they would alleviate his weakness in casting protective spells. He also bought explosives, powder of instant darkness and Extendable Ears. The perfect kit for spying without resorting to alchemy.

Ginny was soon harassed by her brothers about the problem of her love life, which her brothers were too interested in for her taste. She tried all possible diversion maneuvers by looking at the products of the twins with little success... Ron, meanwhile, was not as lucky as Harry because apparently the brother discount was one knut. His rude gesture was, unfortunately for him, glimpsed by Mrs. Weasley who threatened to stick his fingers together.

* * *

At the same time, Ron, Harry, and Ed spotted Draco, who seemed to have ditched his mother and sneaked discreetly between passers-by. It did not take more than a few moments for the four young wizards to similarly escape the Weasleys and Hagrid, who were far too distracted. They eventually spotted Draco Malfoy heading for Knockturn Alley, a street infamous for dark magic. In turn, the group headed down the almost deserted alley where most of the shops were empty. But they eventually found Malfoy in Borgin and Burke. Luckily, Ron had brought his Extendable Ears and the door of the shop had no protective charm, a crucial mistake.

"You know how to fix it?" asked the haughty voice of Malfoy.

"Maybe I should look at it, why do not you bring it to the store?" Borgin asked reluctantly.

"I can't, it has to stay where it is, I just want you to explain to me how to do it."

Borgin seemed worried.

"If I do not see it, I have to say it will be very difficult, maybe even impossible, I can not guarantee you anything."

"No?" Malfoy replied contemptuously, adding, "In this case, maybe this will make you more sure of yourself..." He then added threateningly to Borgin, who was now terrified: "If you tell anyone, there will be retaliation. You know Fenrir Greyback? He's a friend of my family, he'll visit you from time to time to make sure you give the matter the attention it deserves."

"It is useless to..."

"I would judge for myself, well, I have to go now, and do not forget to put it aside, I need it."

"Maybe you can take it now?" asked the seller, full of hope.

"Certainly not, you stupid little man! What would I look like if I wore it on the street? Don't sell it, that's all."

"Of course not, sir..."

The farewells followed and Ron rewound the ears to a satisfactory length before asking:

"What could they be talking about?"

"I don't know," Hermione whispered, "he wants something fixed and a similar object put aside. Did anyone see what they were talking about?

"No," Ron mumbled, bored.

"I think it must be something cumbersome or bright, impossible to conceal," Harry whispered as he explained his deduction: "He said what he would look like if he carried that on the street..."

"And these two objects seem to form a pair or at least, objects made to interact together..." Edward continued, holding his chin, his eyes serious.

"I'll go see what it is." Hermione decided.

"No way, I'm better than you." Edward decreed, then, without giving him time to protest, he grabbed Ron's black cloak, placed it on his head as if to make himself a hood, pushed the outraged young wizard under Harry's cloak and entered the shop.

Dressed in this way, he must have looked exactly like the customers this guy had to welcome: shady people, anxious to protect their identity. The shop was grim: skulls and bone-based items were lurking in every corner. Old silver jewels and weapons worthy of the Middle Ages were displayed in shop windows. In one corner of the room, old books piled up on shelves and on some blankets, stains were spreading, strangely resembling blood. Edward glanced at it with a very interested look before he asked for a light, taking a hoarse and disturbing voice in front of the small shopkeeper who had stared at him anxiously since he had entered his shop:

"Have you any books dealing with Animagi, especially not listed by the Ministry. Of course, I presume that this is not your kind of shop."

"We only have one, the title is Reveal your Inner Animal. It costs twenty galleons," said the seller, seeming relieved and almost happy to deal with a virtually ordinary customer. He presented him with a small leather book of different animals.

"I'll take it for ten galleons." said Edward while meandering around the shop to get right to the location Malfoy had been a few minutes ago.

"Eighteen Galleons," Barjow exclaimed, finding himself in an activity he knew well and gradually losing his guard.

"Thirteen." said Edward staring at all the objects that might have been of interest to Malfoy and who had been in his field of vision: the wardrobe, a necklace of opal, a roll of hangman's rope, a reduced skull, several jewels, a huge sealed vase with talismans...

"Fifteen is my last offer." said the little salesman.

"Sold, pack it, please." Edward agreed with satisfaction. Then he turned to the now relaxed salesman and asked:

"How much for this vase?"

"Six hundred and thirty gallons, no one has dared to unseal it and no one knows if a treasure or a demon is hiding there." Explained the old man with a toothless smile.

"Interesting ... And this wardrobe?"

"Not for sale!" The salesman hurriedly replied, casting a worried look at the door from which Draco Malfoy had gone. "It's part of the store!"

"Too bad," Edward sighs as he picks up his book and walks out of the shop to join his friends. The latter waited impatiently for him and he joined them under the cloak, saying in a satisfied tone:

"Two birds with one stone!"

"I can not believe you dared to haggle a book in a black magic shop." Ron whispered glued to Hermione under the cloak.

"It was to make him lower his guard, and this book was way too expensive!" protested Ed in an indignant murmur.

"Why did you ask for information only for the vase and cabinet?" Ron asked, trying to keep his voice as low as possible. "There might be other things that might interest Malfoy."

"Yes, but I guess they were easier to hide. Remember, Malfoy seemed to be talking about a cumbersome object or something that would stand out on the street, so hard to hide." Hermione explained.

"In that case, I guess it's the cabinet because Borgin refused to sell it..." Harry shrugged thoughtfully.

"I think so, too," Edward said.

"But what does Malfoy intend to do with a wardrobe?" Ron asked halfheartedly as the small group reached Diagon Alley.

"That, I don't know." sighed the Amestrian.

"Hey, isn't that Neville over there, near Fred and George's, talking to Ginny and Luna?" Hermione asked excitedly.

"It is! And without his grandmother! Lucky us!" Ron said dragging the others with a sturdy step towards the small group.

"Neville, it's us!" Hermione breathed as she brushed past Ginny and Luna to warn them of their presence.

"I was beginning to think we wouldn't see each other," said Neville in a relieved tone. "My grandmother refused to let me go but I left her at Madam Malkin's place during her fitting."

"Good job!" exclaimed Ron admiringly at the courage and skill of his friend.

"We don't have a lot of time!" Ginny whispered, "Mom is starting to notice you're out, you have to hurry back home to reassure her!"

"Just a minute," Edward whispered as he pulled out a sheet of paper with his careful handwriting on it, "it's a vital plant list for the Animagus project."

"Belladonna, Poppy, Mandrake, Sage of the divine ... The Mandrake, we have specimens in one of our greenhouses, the sage of the diviner is exotic, but Professor Sprout can get it for me because I'm her favorite. I'll say that it is to grow crops in my greenhouse... All these plants have a notorious hallucinogenic effect, it is to go into a trance during a ritual? "

"Anyway, that's what this book said at Flourish and Blott..." Edward said, shrugging his shoulders.

"Well, I'm sure Neville will be able to cope, he's the plant specialist here!" Ginny decreed in a firm tone. "You go back to Mom before she thinks you've been kidnapped by Death Eaters."

The four young wizards were quick to join the Weasleys who were actually starting to worry. They lied, explaining that they had stayed quietly in the back shop trying on some interesting products. Mrs. Weasley seemed a bit skeptical, but the joy of finding her brood prevented her from asking more inquisitive questions. They made their way back to the Burrow, the adults were relieved that they had not encountered any problems, and the teenagers were very happy with the result of their little trip: they had some information for the Animagus project, they knew that Malfoy was manipulating something and most importantly, they did not get caught.

* * *

The young wizards of the Burrow spent the majority of their last week at the Weasley home discussing either the Animagus project or Malfoy's schemes. Hermione and Ron were more interested in the Animagus aspect. The young witch had also spent her time immersed in the book retrieved by the young Ravenclaw and comparing the content with her own third year notes and those of Edward copied from the bookstore. Ron was just asking questions on the subject, which was usually worth the answers embellished with a "Ronald" sign that the girl was slowly but surely getting annoyed.

Harry and Edward often discussed Malfoy's supposed plan, but could not find what use he could have for that piece of furniture. The two boys got along well and had a pretty good deductive talent and the confrontation of their respective assumptions made them move much faster in their deductions. They even came to convince others that Malfoy was wearing the Dark Mark after a heated debate:

"Harry, what can make you think that Malfoy Junior might be a Death Eaters?"

"That's right, Harry, he's only 16. Do you think You-Know-Who would like Malfoy in his ranks at his age? Not to mention that he's a pretentious little moron..."

"The value or, in the case of Malfoy, the lack of moral values does not wait for a certain age," Edward said gloomily. "Youth makes people much more manipulable, but it does not make it any less dangerous - a student in a school goes more unnoticed and would make a perfectly acceptable spy."

"But Voldemort already thinks he has Snape as a spy in his service!" Hermione protested.

"And if you were Voldemort, would you put all your eggs in one basket?" Harry asked sarcastically, "Two spies are better than one. And Borgin was terrified: this Greyback is surely a death eater, too, but what terrorized him before that is what Malfoy showed him, his Dark Mark. The mark he was trying to conceal from Madam Malkin- why he did not dare lift his sleeve!"

"You know, the worst thing is that their arguments stand." Ron mumbled, glancing sideways at Hermione, who added:

"But still, Draco Malfoy? I imagine him badly engaged as a Death Eater: he's arrogant but lacks maturity and determination, has never yet killed, as far as I know. Why Draco and not somebody else, another Death Eater's child? "

"Maybe he didn't really have a choice," Edward murmured. "His father is a Death Eater, he's been living all his life in an environment that's true to Voldemort's teachings, and he's probably proud to become one of them. Perhaps he even thinks he can do better than Lucius and get his family back into favor... With his failure at the Ministry, he must be on the lowest rung of Voldemort's ladder."

"Let's go with you're both right," Hermione sighed as if she had just swallowed a sour lemon, "What's his plan with this cabinet? "

"Sorry, Hermione, I'm not omniscient," Edward retorted sarcastically, "but he seems convinced that it will work because of his merry look …"

"But I think we'll have to watch him at Hogwarts..." Harry whispered.

"Does that mean you're abandoning our Animagus project?" Hermione asked dryly and disappointed.

"What?!" interrupted Ginny entering the room indignantly.

"Of course not," Harry exclaimed, adding, "I even talked to Lupin about my father on the pretext of getting to know him better and took the opportunity to ask him some questions about Animagi. Dad was brilliant in Transfiguration, Sirius had had an E and Pettigrew had an E narrowly thanks to the help of the other Marauders, according to Remus, he would never have become Animagus without their help. I think we have every chance: Hermione and Edward are prodigious in all subjects, Ron and I managed to have an E in metamorphosis, Luna and Ginny are very motivated, Neville only got an A but if we all help him, he will succeed."

"I'm glad you take this seriously," Hermione sighed reassuringly.

"Yes, on the other hand, it is better that I avoid asking too much of the subject now, he is insightful and if it continues, he will eventually suspect something."

"Otherwise," Ron interrupted, "we can have an account of where we are in our project, the only answers I get are" patience Ronald "," It's not a simple divination course, Ronald, it's is much more serious! "" I can not make any mistakes at this point, Ronald! "Now that we're going back to Hogwarts, can we at least know where you are, O Genius of Magic?"

"I can," retorted Hermione, concealing a slight blush, "it was really an exciting book, and from what I understand, to begin our learning, it will be necessary to begin by determining what is the animal form of our soul, that is our Anima. "

"It's like the Patronus, no?" Ron asked slightly confused.

"Not at all. A patronus takes the form of an animal that can protect us in our subconscious, it can also change in the course of a person's the shape of Animagus. The Animagus is the form animal of our soul with the qualities and the defects of our personality, it is besides for that that it is necessary a certain maturity so that our soul is solid and ceases to change. "Sirius' dog revealed his deep loyalty, Professor McGonagall's cat represents her independence of mind and her meticulous side, the stag of your father is a symbol of nobility, the rat of Wormtail and Rita Skeeter's beetle, and so on."

"So, how do we unveil our 'anima'?" Harry asked.

"We smear our bodies with Mandragore and Belladonna ointment and then we sit naked around a fire in which plants such as the sage of the soothsayers and the poppy are burnt to enter into a trance. In this trance, we will meet our spiritual animal and we will know in what way we will transform." Ed stated in a perfectly neutral tone.

"NAKED?" asked four flushed teenagers whose hormones seemed to be raging since Edward's last revelation.

"It's the ritual that wants that..." Edward apologized, painfully hiding his amusement.

None of the teenagers dared to look at each other and finally, they jumped up, each claiming some pretext or another to get away from the others: Hermione pretended to check her homework, Ron wanted to polish his Quidditch material, Harry had to get his dirty laundry. Edward burst out laughing but still took the time to intercept Ginny who looked red like a tomato.

"Don't worry, I just wanted to ask you a question about Luna."

"In my opinion, she will not mind sitting naked around a fire, even with boys..." Ginny mumbled.

"Do you know if she had a little sister or a little brother?"

"No idea, Mum may have known, but she didn't tell me about it. Luna's mother was depressed before her death and some rumors say she committed suicide, but I know it's a lie. She would never have done it in front of Luna, she would never have done that to her!"

"Have you known Luna for a long time?"

"We had been playing together since we were six or seven, and at the time she was very imaginative and she invented all sorts of stories when we were walking in the forest, but she also knew how to be serious. She wasn't like that all the time, she changed when Mrs. Lovegood died. I heard that she spent several hours near her mother's body and it irreparably changed her."

"What do you mean?" Edward asked in a low voice.

"She didn't talk anymore, and she had violent accidental magic," Ginny told her, her eyes haunted, "Mum thought she might never be able to go to Hogwarts. In any case, for a year, she was left to the care of the Healers in the Incurable Spell Room, which made her case worse, so Mr. Lovegood came one day and took her out of St. Mungo's and raised her alone. When I saw her again, she remained largely in her imaginary world but she started talking again and her magical crises calmed down. "

"Do you know exactly what killed her mother?" Edward asked.

"Rita Skeeter's nasty articles say that she practiced black magic, the truth is that Pandora Lovegood was a Ravenclaw who was interested in everything and was very brilliant. Nobody knows what killed her."

"Luna is really an amazing person." said the young alchemist contemplating the woods from the window.

"I'm glad she had you as a friend last year, you're one of the few who takes her seriously and listens to her, but now she has lots of friends. She's no longer alone."

"She's a good girl, her words may seem strange, but her feelings and emotions are true."

"What I told you is a secret, but I know you won't take advantage of her... That's why I told you."

The night before they left, Edward stayed awake for a long time, unable to fall asleep. He remained there, pensive, thinking about both Luna and Winry: so different yet so alike.


	7. Chapter 7

Hi everyone! Sorry about that long delay, and thanks for all the support, faves, and follows. I'm not going to be making any promises about future chapters, other than that I do intend to at least catch up to where the original fic is. Anyways, enjoy and have a happy Thanksgiving to all my American followers.!

* * *

The next day, the departure from the Burrow proceeded calmly and without haste, unlike the previous year. They all boarded the unmarked but comfortable cars of the Ministry of Magic and arrived very quickly in London, near King's Cross station. They walked in a tidy order through the few meters of brick that separated them from Platform 9 ¾. Harry had to cross it under the surveillance of the taciturn aurors who had accompanied them.

The young wizard wondered for a moment if he shouldn't have told Mr. Dursley what he had learned, but in previous years at Hogwarts he had learned at least one thing: adult help was often inefficient or nonexistent at best, treacherous or hiding ulterior motives at worst, at least from his point of view. He had begun to doubt adults and to suspect hidden intentions in many of them. He suspected it had something to do with Edward's entry into his life: his friend was suspicious of, reluctant to confide in, and terribly independent of adults.

The group boarded the train: Ron and Hermione had to join the prefects' compartment, leaving it up to Edward and Harry to find one of their own among the carriages filled with last-minute fans who, of course, would not had not believed a word of the lies slotted by the Daily Prophet over the last year. The two boys glared at each other as they heard the chuckles and whispers behind the half-closed doors and sighed in unison as they searched for an empty compartment. They had to make their way through the crowded corridors of students who were just waiting for an opportunity to greet "the Chosen One" and Harry had to push Edward onward when he heard remarks about his height.

"Harry, Edward!" exclaimed Neville's familiar voice, "Come in quickly, I'm with Luna!"

Without being told twice, the two boys rushed into the compartment and closed the doors securely, ignoring the complaints that their disappearance caused. Quickly putting their trunks on the luggage rack, they collapsed with a sigh of relief, finally safe from the untimely remarks of other passengers. Luna and Neville had probably been protected from rumors by the reputation that surrounded them and so the compartment was almost empty, waiting for them. Ginny Weasley was quick to join them and sat down with an exasperated air: apparently she, too, did not like the chatter about their escapades at the Department of Mysteries, and she would certainly have accepted Edward's proposal to give them a good Bat Bogey Hex-ing. Unfortunately, they had to wait for Ron and Hermione to arrive before starting to talk about their secret project.

So they began to talk about things of no importance until they were interrupted by frantic whispers behind the door. It ended up opening on a seductive girl with her own posse of fifteen-year old girls, blushing and chattering like hens. The girl was too sure of herself to really make a good impression on the occupants of the compartment, especially Ginny Weasley who seemed to be trying to burn a hole in her skull with her eyes. The girl introduced herself as Romilda Vane and she suggested to Harry but also to Edward, to join them with a slightly condescending air towards Luna and Neville who waited calmly to see what happened. They didn't have to wait long:

"I'm already with my friends," Harry said in a frosty tone as he laid a warm hand on Neville's shoulder.

"And you're not welcome here if you're going to be rude to them." added Edward, glaring at her.

The girls, repelled by Edward's poisonous tone, blushed again but this time it was more from shame. Luna looked up from her diary and addressed Harry, staring at him behind the strange pair of glasses she was wearing:

"She thinks you should have cooler friends than us, but it's nice of you to think of us as your friends."

"Luna, you're a Ravenclaw, you're one of the smartest people I've ever known, and yet you didn't realize we're all friends here?" Edward asked.

Luna did not answer, but she hid her face in her magazine- but Edward had time to see her eyes shine as if she were crying tears of joy. Luckily, it was that moment that Ron and Hermione chose to enter the compartment with the news that Malfoy was not doing his prefect duties. Harry would have liked to know exactly what it was but the project was more important so he sat there, ready to explain the plan.

The goal was for all the occupants to become very competent wizards, able to fight against Voldemort or at least resist the Death Eaters that made up his following. For that, they would have to learn magic that surpassed the dark magic used by the servants of Voldemort and to succeed in the N.E.W.T. programs that could allow them to progress in learning this magic.

Harry already had some ideas about the magic they would have to learn: becoming Animagi was an important step that would allow them to fight, hide, or flee depending on which animal they would become. But since his lessons with Snape, Harry also had half a mind to teach Occlumency to the others and for that he would need the help of Edward who had a gift for Legilimency and had advised him in his methods to repel the attacks on his mind. Wandless magic could also be an option although he did not see anyone doing it. However, he strongly suspected Ed of knowing how to go about doing it and the Boy-Who-Lived was determined to convince his friend to reveal this secret.

Now all that was left was to split the roles: Hermione would help organize the special sessions they would have and develop a school support and study program so that all members could manage to follow the plan. Neville was the Herbology specialist and could possibly advise them on possible ingredients and provide them. Ron could handle the strategizing; Luna the knowledge-gathering and imagination. Ginny would energize the group, Edward would be the practical advisor and Harry would be the leader. All that was left was to find a name and everyone proposed ideas: the Clan of the Seven, or The VRA (Voldemort Resistance Army). It was finally Edward's hesitant proposal, the Circle, that was chosen. According to Edward's lessons last year, the circle was a central movement in combat, with no dead spots, plus it had a special little insider connotation that pleased Harry. In any case it was better than the invitation that was soon to arrive...

Soon, indeed, a blushing girl knocked on their compartment and announced that she had three invitations from Professor Slughorn addressed to Neville Longbottom, Edward Elric Flamel and Harry Potter. Neville seemed stunned to receive an invitation from a teacher and the two other young wizards, who already knew the collector's tendency of their future potion teacher, smothered a groan, or not, before heading to the indicated compartment. on the invitation. Along the way, through the whispers and the sound of rumors that surrounded them, they could not help but notice that Draco Malfoy's compartment was right next to Slughorn's. Harry saved this information for later while touching the invisibility cloak concealed in his pocket.

At least, Harry thought as he received a generous portion of cold pheasant, the meal looked better than the few treats they usually ate during the trip. You could say a lot of things about Slughorn but he had a good taste for food and Edward seemed to share this view because of the way he ate with gusto. On the other hand, the young Ravenclaw still showed his fake smile which he usually reserved for the moments when he was enjoying some private joke. Other than Neville, the other occupants of the compartment were unknown to him, although it was obvious that they were present because of their relationships with known wizarding figures. Some, like Mclaggen, had understood this very well and boasted of their relationship with the Minister of Magic, others like Neville or Belby would have preferred to meet in another place.

When it was Edward's turn, Harry realized that his turn would soon arrive and mentally prepared for the interrogation that was soon to follow. His friend was answering the questions he had already answered without too much protest, but the young Gryffindor could feel the annoyance under the apparent politeness. Then it was Harry's turn to manage to say as little as possible and make sure not to corroborate the news of the Daily Prophet. Neville and Edward, however, remained silent as graves on this subject, none of them revealing that there was not one but two prophecies implicated in the affair. However, Slughorn did not seem to be done with them but decided to show off by presenting his many connections to the small assembly.

Edward, who seemed to tire of these stories quickly, asked the potion teacher to take the time to get ready by putting on their wizard robes. As the afternoon was well advanced, Professor Slughorn agreed to have the whole group leave. Barely out, Harry stared at Zabini's back as he prepared to follow him, pulling his invisibility cloak from his pocket. But Edward seemed to have another idea. He motioned for Harry to follow him into an empty compartment separated by two or three more from the Slytherin's, and pulled out his Extendable Ears, which seemed to be always on him ever since he had bought them.

But when they tried to hear and listen, they only heard a sizzle indicating that the compartment door had a _Muffliato_ charm applied. Harry swore, feeling that his last chance to know what Malfoy wanted to do had just disappeared. Edward stared at the window with an intense look, then he turned to Harry and asked with a big, almost disturbing smile:

"If I told you I was going to do something crazy, would you help me?"

* * *

A few minutes later, Edward clung to the open window of the Hogwarts Express, halfway out of the train while being careful not to fall. Harry grabbed his friend by his long sleeves to make sure he did not fall because of the gusty wind that threatened to bring down the young wizard. The latter was looking for a handhold to get on the roof while holding a pair of Extendable Ears. It was in this strange situation that Ron and Hermione found them as they looked for their compartment. Ron's eyes widened as the young Gryffindor beside him closed hers and repeated with conviction "I didn't see that, it's only a hallucination". But when she reopened them, she had to admit that it was real.

Edward, meanwhile ignored the interruption and had managed to climb atop the car and was carefully making his way down the cars. Looking in the windows from time to time, he finally reached what he supposed to be Malfoy and his companions' compartment. He discreetly used alchemy and created a hole in the roof while trying to cover the small sparks of his transmutation. Then he slid the Extendable Ear in and fired a light shot to warn Harry that he could start listening with his own end. He himself was content to listen to what Draco said with his own ears.

The beginning of the conversation was not very exciting: Zabini described what happened at the Slug Club, detailing everyone's actions and making unpleasant comments about each one. The discussion became more interesting when Draco said that next year he would probably be out of school. Edward could almost feel Ron and Hermione getting closer to Harry to listen better. The young Malfoy spoke with in his usual arrogant voice of a mission that the Dark Lord had personally entrusted to him, a job that would not require any degree. Unfortunately, Edward could already see in the distance the high towers of Hogwarts, a sign that the train would soon reach its destination. Besides, the Slytherins' conversation was interrupted and they started to get their trunks. Edward pulled the Ear out, quickly repaired the hole in the roof, and started back to the compartment he had been in.

He felt full of nostalgia, thinking back to the time Alphonse and he had fought terrorists on the train. It reminded him of so many good memories that he almost got caught on the wall when the train passed under a tunnel. Luckily his... slightly below average height, had saved him. He rushed back into the compartment where members of the Circle were sitting..

"You can't deny that was an interesting conversation." Ron said with a sigh as he donned his wizard's robe.

"Indeed, I wonder what he is preparing." Neville wondered, scratching his chin.

"It seems that Draco Malfoy's mind is infected with Nargle droppings, which is sad," Luna said as she moved her trunk.

"I wonder what is this oh-so-important mission?" Ginny Weasley wondered aloud.

"Am I the only one to think that what Edward just did was completely suicidal and crazy?" Hermione inquired as she stepped out of the compartment.

"I totally agree with you, Hermione, it was crazy."

"Edward Elric, you're the one who did that!" Hermione exclaimed as she exited the train car.

"It was really crazy but great anyway." Ron said, lowering Hermione's trunk, who thanked him heartily.

"And it was well worth it." Harry added as he went down.

"I do not feel like it, it gave me the impression he might be exaggerating with all that bragging..." said the girl in a tone unconvinced.

"If he has received a mission from Voldemort personally, it's no wonder he's boasting about it, especially since he may need allies for this mission. Telling his allies could help him. " Ed said as he climbed aboard the stagecoach after petting the Thestral.

All members of the Circle could see these strange horses since their passage in the Hall of Death, after seeing the veil...

"If he needs allies, I think he'll stick to Crabbe and Goyle, I do not think he'd like to share the glory of his job with anyone who's smarter than him, like Zabini. " Harry stated as he sat down in the cab.

"Or he must accomplish his mission alone." Added Luna thoughtfully.

"It's possible..." Edward whispered without seeming to notice the delighted face on his fellow Ravenclaw.

"But we still do not know what this mission is." Hermione remarked in a sensible tone.

"I'm sure we'll learn more throughout the year." Ron said as the stagecoaches set out for the illuminated Hogwarts castle.

* * *

For a few minutes, Professor Snape and Albus Dumbledore watched from the second floor of the Headmaster's Tower as the prefects arrived one after the other as the boats filled with first-year students prepared to cross the lake, guided by Hagrid, the Master of the Keys. Severus Snape said, with his usual dry tone:

"Apparently, everything is in order, no one is missing, including your protege."

"All right, Severus, the time everyone's here, we can chat for a little while." Albus Dumbledore said without seeming to notice the slight acrimony in his interlocutor's voice.

"Apparently, the Dark Lord thinks that, whether prophecy or not, the ultimate success of his takeover comes from the murder at his own hand of Potter, and he gave instructions that no one but himself would hurt or kill the boy." explained the Potions Master, his gaze staring intently at a group of seven, including Harry Potter, out of a diligence.

"Did he give any indication of the second prophecy of the Mystery Department?"

"We only have one part out of three. Voldemort has the other, and Merlin knows who has the third..." the Headmaster murmured, affectionately watching. the same small group enter the Castle.

"The Dark Lord seems intrigued by this prophecy and he seems to think that it may allow him to gain infinite power, but unfortunately he has not shared it with anyone except Rookwood, but it seems very paradoxical, according to the Dark Lord's own words He stays locked up for hours with Rookwood, arguing over something, the only name I've come to grasp is Rupescissa's. "

"Rupescissa?" The manager said anxiously, "I only heard that name once in the mouth of my mentor, Nicolas Flamel, a former Ravenclaw turned to the Dark Arts, and he was the first and last true disciple of Nicolas' alchemy. He died at the time when the Philosopher's Stone was invented. I would never have thought that Voldemort would continue to be interested in alchemy."

"Maybe he found another trail in this book that he stole from the Ministry." Suggested the potion teacher. "Or they might think there is a connection between this manuscript and this strange prophecy ... The Unspeakables still remain silent on this?"

"As the grave." Professor Dumbledore sighed as he left his desk and invited his colleague to follow him, "But this book may well be from de Roquetaillade, and in that case alchemy might be the key to the prophecy. Unfortunately, Nicolas died last year with his wife. "

"But he still has a spiritual heir." Replied Snape with a heavy hint of innuendo as he walked down the steps of the Hall, ready to join the teachers' table. "Edward Elric-Flamel, maybe Flamel gave him some knowledge of alchemy."

"Their meeting lasted less than two hours, it is impossible for a person as brilliant as this dear Edward to learn to master the chemistry in such a short period of time, but he may have entrusted him with a secret code without his knowledge and in this case, I see only one way ... Have you thought back to my proposal?"

"In previous years, there were too many fools and the only gifted ones were not motivated enough." Snape mumbled, glaring at the late-comers of the higher years who hastened to sit at their respective tables.

"I hope this year your young pupils will be willing and good enough for that." Dumbledore said, a happy glow in his eyes as he stared at Hermione Granger, Harry Potter and Edward Elric at their Gryffindor and Ravenclaw tables.

"If you say so," Snape said skeptically before adding, "do not forget to hide your hand at least a little, just to avoid alerting the most emotional souls."

"I do not know what I would do without you, Severus," Albus Dumbledore said earnestly before sitting on his majestic armchair, ready to greet the newcomers to Hogwarts.

* * *

At the Ravenclaw table, Edward had managed to sit at the end of the table with only Luna next to him. Curiously, a large number of girls of all ages insisted that the young Ravenclaw be seated next to her, but the boy had just ignored them and was now staring at the Gryffindor table and Harry in particular. Both knew that Dumbledore's true speech would only come at the end of the meal, but they were both eager to see the result of their little "forgetfulness" about the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher.

This did not stop them from feasting when the banquet began. Edward devoured the contents of his plate with delight, enjoying an apple pie that was not as good as Winry's or Gracia's, but excellent anyway. Finally, when he had eaten to satiety, he relaxed, ready to hear the headmaster's speech about the usual prohibitions on the Forbidden Forest and the curfew (which he did not intend to respect anyway). There were also warnings about the castle's protections that had been increased as well as more frequent monitoring of the corridors. Then, finally, he arrived at the long awaited moment ...

"Finally, I am pleased to announce that you will have a new teacher this year. I introduce to you Horace Slughorn, a former colleague who has agreed to take up the post of Potions Master."

The exclamations that followed were soon suffocated by Dumbledore's voice, which resumed with a gleam, almost like laughing, in his eyes:

"For the youngest among you, I introduce to you Professor Snape, already well known to the alumni and who will this year be the professor of Defense Against the Dark Arts."

The cries went on again, it was warm applause at the Slytherin table, but half-horrified cries of amazement from the other tables. Nevertheless, listening well, we could hear Harry laughing with a smile, very amused at the disappointment of his friends. A scream of pain followed soon after: the young wizard had received two well-deserved smacks from his table neighbors, Ron and Hermione, who had hardly appreciated their friend's joke. They were also staring Edward furiously, especially Ron, who had absolutely no potion classes because he thought he did not have the required points.

Nevertheless, the redhead only had time to make a rude sign to Edward (one that was always hilarious, but certainly in this case it would have been worth having his fingers stuck together by his mother). Already, the prefects were called to do their duty and they began to escort their comrades to their respective common rooms. Edward immediately followed the crowd of Ravenclaws towards the tower housing their common room. The eagle's enigma: " _A box without hinges, key, or lid,/Yet golden treasure inside is hid_ " was easily solved by a Muggleborn who had read Tolkien's _Hobbit_. As Edward was about to go to bed right away, Professor Flitwick, the professor at the head of Ravenclaw's house, invited the sixth years to wait until the time he gives them scrolls with news about their schedule. Ed looked at him distractedly before jumping almost hard enough to surpass his classmates' heights and shouted a "what ?!" almost disproportionate to his size.

 _Sixth Years:_

 _Optional Alchemy courses are proposed to be offered to all years, on the condition that there is adequate interest and registration among students._

 _Mandatory requirements to register for these experimental courses: An E is required in the following four subjects: Potions, Transfiguration, Botany, and Charms. An Arithmancy course, Muggle Studies, and Astronomy is also recommended without being mandatory._

 _Qualities required: rigor, organization, will, intelligence._

 _Classes will be given once a fortnight by Professor Snape._

* * *

The next morning, in the corridors of the castle, one could see many sixth-year students from all the houses talking to each other while holding a parchment in their hands. Many were in a feverish mood and that was also the case for Harry, Ron, Hermione and even Neville who were staring at the same pages. They only looked up when Edward approached them with an air of excitement in their eyes.

"I see that everyone else heard the news." said Edward.

"I knew that this subject could appear on the program if there were enough requests, I had asked Professor McGonagall in the first year, it is imperative that more than ten people attend this course otherwise everything is cancelled!" Hermione exclaimed forcefully.

"Darn. You'll have to count me out." sighed Neville, "I only have an A in Transfiguration and Potions."

"I could," Ron mumbled snarlingly, "but it's out of the question for me to spend more time with Snape than I need to, and you two, I have not forgiven you yet. I can't believe you didn't tell us he was going to be the Defence teacher! Especially you, Harry, my very own best friend. Now I can't even take any potions classes anyway."

"Listen," Harry said calmly, "I'm going to give you mine and I'll deal with Slughorn: he likes me and I could always say I did not think I was qualified enough for his class ..."

"Oh Harry, you're like a brother to me, finally!" Ron exclaimed, finally exhilarated, "Er, otherwise, are you going to do it, taking alchemy with the dungeon bat?"

"Now that we can tolerate each other in the same room, maybe I have the necessary prerequisites, and last year, when Edward was giving his summer classes, I was pretty good at following..."

"I'll be there, that's for sure," Hermione said, "Alchemy seems to be a fascinating subject."

"I suppose you'll be there, Edward?" Harry asked with a slight smile.

"I already signed up with three or four Ravenclaws, including Anthony Goldstein, there were already the names of Nott and Zabini on the registration form, and Susan Bones seemed very hesitant, I think there will be quite a few," Edward said, crossing his fingers.

"Mr. Elric, I suggest you go back to your table to see your schedule while I'm taking care of your classmates - by the way, congratulations on your outstanding grades."

Edward hastened to join his head of house, who looked at him with pride, considering the number of OWLS he had obtained when he was only in his first year last year. Edward, out of breath, bowed to Flitwick, showing his results to his delighted professor, who shouted aloud:

"You did well, Mr Elric. Your scores are quite splendid; what classes are you going to take for your NEWTS?"

"Transfiguration, Potions, Herbology, Charms, Defense Against the Dark Arts, Ancient Runes, Arithmancy and Astronomy. I'm also going to take Alchemy." declared the young Ravenclaw seriously.

"That is a schedule that will not leave you a lot of free time, I'm afraid ..." Flitwick said, winking at Edward's schedule, "but with your determination, I'm sure you will be able to handle them. Your Ancient Runes course starts in five minutes."

Edward immediately got up, put a few pancakes in a napkin, and hastened to follow Hermione to their Ancient Runes class. On the way, they began to discuss their respective topics:

"I'm pretty much taking all my old stuff, too," Hermione said after taking a quick look at Ed's schedule while he stuffed his mouth full of pancakes. "Harry and Ron will probably take the same: Defense against the Dark Arts, Transfiguration, Charms, Herbology, and Potions, but Ron isn't going to take Alchemy, I'm afraid- that would give him too much extra work."

"At the same time, given our plans for this year, we'll have a lot to do, and maybe it's good not to be burdened with too much stuff..." Ed calmed the Gryffindor, leaning against the wall and waiting for the beginning of the class.

This was the last moment of calm as many of the other students began to realize the amount of work that they would have to do to pass their NEWTS. Edward and Hermione were sitting side by side and he could see that even she sometimes had trouble with some runic phrases, but she probably would not have anything to do despite her increasing anxiety. The professor gave them a ton of homework that would occupy the remains of free time that the two geniuses of Hogwarts had in their schedules. They joined Harry and Ron comfortably against the wall: they had not had to work like dogs for an hour...

* * *

Finally, Professor Snape arrived and calm was miraculously restored in the hallway. Each student silently entered the room where one could feel a dark and almost unhealthy impression: a perfect representation of the forces of evil and black magic. The signs on the walls seemed to evoke examples of victims of evil creatures or terrifying curses. In short, it did not really make you want to turn to this dark aspect of magic. Some of the students shuddered at the sinister atmosphere, but Harry and Edward barely flinched: everyone had seen much worse in their short lives.

Professor Snape then stood behind his desk and began by ordering the students to put away their books. Then he began his speech by insulting the previous teachers by being surprised that so many students were able to get the necessary OWL to take the course. He may not know it, but Harry and Edward were the main reason for this success through their defense courses. But at that moment, Snape's speech became more bewitching as he evoked the forces of evil as a monster with multiple heads, cruelty and limitless cunning. Snape's strangely caressing tone radically contrasted with the terrifying description he made, showing the stubbornly evil side of the Dark Arts. For the first time, Harry understood why his teacher was taking that tone, as if to show the power of attraction of what they were going to fight.

He then described the most brutal possibilities while making them understand that their defenses should be as flexible as the forces of their opponents. For that, Harry was perfectly in agreement: by the way, did not Edward just prepare them for that when he had forced them to adapt to all kinds of situations?

Then the real lesson began: Professor Snape wanted to teach them the use of unofficial spells and began by asking the question of the benefits of the unformulated. Nobody raised a hand, not even Edward, who had never really liked to answer that kind of question seriously and who preferred to let Hermione take a snide remark from Snape. Of course, she methodically quoted the book, a correct answer that drew the sarcasm of the teacher. He added that it was a question of mental strength and concentration and after that, he cast a thoughtful look at Edward and Harry.

Immediately, he ordered the class to split into a team of two while insisting on composing the teams themselves. This was how Ron found himself with Neville, Hermione with Parvati and Harry found himself facing Edward. The two boys looked to be a mixed bag- they knew they were not together by chance since Snape knew, despite his acrimony towards Harry, that Harry would do better when he was placed with Ed. The pairs of wizards flipped a coin to know who the striker was, Edward won and attacked immediately, and Harry could see several things: first, Edward was more talented and quicker when it came to casting spells instead of pronouncing formulas , Edward as an attacker was more formidable than ever since this summer. Third, he was obviously focused on the idea of teaching him the information in his own way since he had thrown a silencing charm. Harry could not talk anymore now and he had to try everything to cast a spell on Ed, who was staring at him, mockingly.

It was obviously at that moment that Snape interfered: having watched the little duel with a concentrated air, he decided to cast a vicious spell on Harry. The latter reacts instinctively: he instantly thought Protego and to his surprise, the spell worked, succeeding in repelling the spell of Professor Snape who seemed rather satisfied with himself.

"It seems that a silencing scharm and a couple of spells is a pretty good technique on you, Potter. Maybe I should extend it to all the class ... For that little feat and that great idea, I give a point to Gryffindor and Ravenclaw."

It was unclear whether the class was more shaky about being subjected to silencer charms followed by an avalanche of hexes of any kind or whether they were shocked about Snape giving a point to any House other than his own.. When they left the classroom, Harry glanced half furiously, half friendly towards Edward who was walking without seeming to pay any attention, at least, until he turned around and said:

"What?! It worked, didn't it? You were trying too hard, what you need to practice is reacting instinctively, in a free and relaxed way, as if you were reading this spell in a book and trying to reproduce it. Instinct is your greatest strength and you can amaze everybody!"

"And since when did you become so fast, when before you were slow at casting spells?"

"I'm slow as a turtle when I have to learn spells: I have to dissect them to understand how they work, to know why they work this way and to learn how to replicate that effect with my wand, as I understand it! once I practice them often enough, this understanding becomes instinctive and the formula always slows me down because I do not see any great information I've gained is very helpful because it confirms my theory on the uselessness of the formula in my way of learning! "

Seeing that Edward was immersed in his usual reflections on how magic worked, he turned away from Ed and started talking with Ron and Hermione about the class. Hermione seemed to think that Snape had the same approach as Harry for the Dark Arts and the young wizard did not know whether he should be flattered by the comparison or embarrassed.

His relationship with Snape was still strange since he had talked to Edward and especially since that time when he had visited his Pensieve: Now, Harry knew that his father, in his teenage years, had not been better than someone like Dudley who tyrannized the others when he was stronger and his teacher did not deserve to be so humiliated. Snape, on the other hand, seemed to be curbing his sardonic remarks towards him and treating him more equitably. And somehow the Boy-Who-Lived was convinced he had to thank Edward for it.

Suddenly, he saw Sloper, who, besides discussing quidditch, also came to bring him the invitation to Dumbledore's first class. The latter would take place next week.

* * *

Translator's Notes: Rupescissa, in the original text, is another name for Jean de Roquetaillade, a 14th century French alchemist. The riddle for the Ravenclaws is the same one from the French version of The Hobbit.


End file.
